A Second Life
by DracOnyx
Summary: Complete. Sephiroth has awakened and has only one thing on his mind destroying Jenova. But he also has to deal with some things he's never had to deal with before . . . real life. RR
1. Prologue

Disclaimer - I don't own FFVII or any of the characters . . . but Seph is my muse, so leave him alone : )

  
  


AN - my newest piece, and still in progress. I'm actually rewriting it from what I originally had. Sephiroth may seem a bit OC . . . this is how I see him if he could have had a chance at life without anyone messing with his head a crap. And, hey, it's fan fiction, so I can make him act as I wish him to, yes? Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please review.

Oh . . . stuff that is italicised is Jenova talking . . . just for your information : )

A Second Life

  
  


Prologue - Return

  
  
  
  


Awaken, my son.

"No."

It is time.

"Leave me be."

You can either arise by yourself, or I shall make you.

"Then do so. I should be dead."

But you are not. You are still alive . . . and now I have even greater need of you, my son.

"I do not wish to live . . . I have never wished to live. Now that you are destroyed, fate can take the proper course, as it was meant to."

You are being foolish. I cannot be destroyed . . . not as long as one of my body lives. You still live . . . therefore, so do I.

"Then you will stay here with me until I die as well. You lost, creature. You failed. Deal with it."

And if I tell you that things could be different? That we could still accomplish our goal?

"Destroying the Planet was your goal, Jenova. Not mine. My only goal was revenge . . . a revenge that was a lie, as was the rest of my life. I have no reason to go on living in a world that I was not meant for. So no, I am not getting up. Let me die in peace . . . perhaps in death I will find the peace of soul I never had in life."

If you will not cooperate, I will just find another. Perhaps that Cloud fellow . . . he has my cells in his body . . .

"You leave him out of this, creature. His life has been hell enough thanks to you and I." Blazing green eyes opened slowly to stare at the ceiling of ice above him, narrowed in anger and threat at the creature he spoke to within himself.

So . . . you wake to spare your enemy the same fate as yourself? Intriguing . . . and how terribly noble and foolish. I would not have thought you had it in you.

The once great general of Shin-Ra growled at the voice in his head before standing slowly, shaking off the scream of muscles long unused. He took in his surroundings, trying to determine exactly where he was. It appeared to be an ice cave, through the walls of which he could barely make out stone.

"You do not know everything about me creature. I do not know everything about myself. I have never been able . . . to be my own person. Only a pawn in others games. I have much to learn . . . about life."

So, you have determined to live? How interesting. What changed your mind?

"Yes . . . I have determined to live. You have given me the purpose I needed."

Ah . . . that is good. We have much that needs to be done. For now . . .

"You mistake me, creature. I said you have given me the purpose . . . not that you ARE the purpose. At least, not in the way you seem to think. I arise for one reason, and one reason only . . . I'm going to destroy you . . . for ever."

YOU DARE TO DEFY ME! YOU ARE ME! YOU HAVE NO OTHER PURPOSE BUT TO SERVE ME!

"You are wrong creature. I live to serve no one but myself now. My creators are dead . . . Shin-Ra is no more . . . I am free now, as I have never been before. Now I shall do things as I see fit . . . with no orders from anyone."

You sniveling brat . . . I am your mother, your lover, your MASTER! I am the only acceptance you will ever have in this world!

"I have no need of acceptance or love . . . or a mother. I survived a lifetime without any of that before . . . I can do so again. When I believed I had all of that, you used me. Now . . . I will allow no more lives to be ruined by you. Perhaps, if I am cautious, I can undo some of the damage that was done in my name."

How dare you! I saved your miserable little life! You owe me! You ARE me!

He winced slightly as the voice echoed around in his head, it's shrill tone making it plain that the entity it belonged to was not happy. Not that he particularly cared. Using all the mental strength he could summon, he built a careful wall around the part of him that housed the entity called Jenova.

"In case you have forgotten, I am not entirely grateful that you saved my life. I would much rather be dead. But, since that does not seem to be possible at the moment without you shrieking inside my head, I will ensure my peace . . . by destroying you."

You inconceivable, insignificant, arrogant . . . 

"Brat? Bastard? I am all of those and more. Now leave me be. I have to find a way to Midgar . . . I should find the information I require there." With a swirl of black leather and platinum hair, the man once known as Sephiroth walked reluctantly back into the world of the living.


	2. New Beginnings

Disclaimer - I don't own FFVII or any of the characters . . . but Seph is my muse, so leave him alone : )

  
  


AN - my newest piece, and still in progress. I'm actually rewriting it from what I originally had. Sephiroth may seem a bit OC . . . this is how I see him if he could have had a chance at life without anyone messing with his head and crap. And, hey, it's fan fiction, so I can make him act as I wish him to, yes? Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please review.

  
  


Due to a mishap, Jenova's voice talking is now surrounded by a * . . .*

  
  


Chapter 1 - Beginning Anew

  
  


He crouched on a hill overlooking Midgar, noting absently the damages caused by Meteor and the Weapons. 

'Another sin laid at my feet . . .' he thought darkly, running a hand through his hair in frustration. 'I wonder how many innocents lost their lives in that folly of mine.' In the weeks it had taken him to get here, he'd had a lot of time for thought . . . none of it pretty. 'So much wasted time . . . so many wasted lives because of me.' He growled at his turn of thought, shoving it brutally away to turn back to the matter at hand. Pulling a mirror from the pack on the ground nearby, he scrutinized his reflection, carefully searching it to be sure everything about his disguise was in place. Walking around with platinum hair and mako eyes would give him away in a heart beat, considering how well known . . . and despised . . . he had been, so he'd taken steps to cover up those two most obvious indicators. His hair now hung in dark ebony locks . . . although he had refused to cut it. Having sharp objects anywhere near his neck had always made him nervous, and as much as he hated to admit he had such a weakness, his hair was his one vanity. His eyes were carefully hidden behind a pair of special lenses he'd picked up. They still glowed, but they were now violet, not the usual blue/green that unnerved people. He snorted in disgust at the dirt and grime that smudged his face . . . he was usually very picky about being clean, but he couldn't afford to stop and take a bath before he walked into Midgar . . . that would have to wait until later.

"It will just have to do," he sighed, putting the mirror away. He stood slowly, shouldering the pack absently as he tried to determine the quickest path to the wreckage of the Shin-Ra Corporate Headquarters. The less people he ran into, the less likely his disguise would fail. Black pants hugged his muscular legs, the rough cloth feeling strange after his usual leather. He ran his fingers absently across the white shirt he wore, feeling the calluses of his hands catch slightly on the cotton. The only things that remained of his former self were the leather trench coat and his boots, although without his trademark platinum hair and the Masamune, he doubted they would be enough to tip anyone off. Especially since he'd removed and discarded the armored pauldrons he usually wore. Of course, he was about to walk into the remains of the city that had been his base of operations for a long time . . .

*This would be so much easier if you would just open up and cooperate . . .*

"Never again, Jenova. You had your chance, and it is over. Now I need to pick up the pieces you left me of my life."

'What few there are, that is,' he sighed to himself. He hadn't realized just how much of his life Jenova had influenced until he had arrived here. Even his involvement in SOLDIER had been Jenova's doing, in a way . . . preparation for his body to be strong enough to carry out her will.

'Where would I have gone . . . what could I have done with my life after escaping Hojo if not for Jenova's influence?' he wondered again. It was strange to suddenly be bereft of everything that had held meaning in one's life, to say the very least. It was even stranger to realize that those same things had only been shadow's of someone . . . or rather, something . . . else's will.

He shook his head abruptly to rid himself of such never ending thoughts, his now ebony bangs brushing gently against his face with the movement. There was no sense to pondering what could have been. What had happened had been as much his fault for being weak as it had been Hojo's and Jenova's, no matter how he looked at it.

Looking down at Midgar's remains, he determined the quickest way to his target would be through what was left of the slums. There had been a quick route from there to the upper plate that would put him close to the remains of the building, one that only the higher ups of the company had known of. That meant it would be unused, and therefore, would mean less people for him to have to deal with. Picking his way down the hill carefully, he strode towards the gate into Midgar with the air of a man on a mission.

*You fool. The first time it rains someone will know who you are and they will kill you.*

"Then I will just have to stay out of the rain, won't I?" he muttered under his breath, casting a quick glance up at the sky. No clouds present. He smiled grimly as that thought brought to mind another "cloud". 'I wonder where they all went after they destroyed Jenova's body . . .' he mused. 'Midgar was home to a few of them . . .'

*Hoping you'll run into them? Maybe so you can thank them for killing me? Don't be foolish . . . the minute they lay eyes on you, they'll know who you are and set out to kill you again. And get that insane idea out of your head that you can make restitution to them for all they've been through. It'll only end up signing your death warrant if you get anywhere near them.*

"Why so concerned, Jenova? It almost sounds like you care if they kill me. Wouldn't it be 

easier if I was out of the way?" he murmured.

*You are still my best and brightest chance of obtaining my goals. Eventually, you will come back around to my way of thinking.*

He snorted in derision. "That is not likely to ever happen, no matter how much you wish it."

*We shall see.*

He pondered that rather cryptic remark. What was that demon thing planning this time? He hoped it wasn't anything he couldn't easily deal with. As far as he currently knew, he and Cloud were the only ones that remained with her cells in their bodies . . . and Cloud did not have enough for what Jenova needed. She needed someone who could act as a part of her, through which she could push all her considerable power and not cause damage. That meant he was the only one she had . . . unless there was another he did not know of. Perhaps that was what she meant . . . he only hoped he could find the information he needed in Hojo's files.

Deep in thought as he was, it was quite a while before he became aware of his surroundings once again. 'I need to stop doing that . . . losing myself in thought like that could be dangerous to my already limited health,' he reprimanded himself, looking around at his surroundings. He froze in shock as his eyes landed upon a nearby bar.

"Seventh Heaven? Wasn't that destroyed when Shin-Ra brought the plate down?" he murmured thoughtfully, staring at the building. A nearby pedestrian heard him, and grinned.

"Oy, yeah . . . that there is the new building. Those there heroes from AVALANCHE came back to Midgar after saving the planet and rebuilt it."

"AVALANCHE? They still exist then?" he asked curiously, his eyes locked on the building. The irony of the situation did not escape him. Here he was just thinking about his former enemies, and he ended up in front of the very building where they most likely were. Of all the places for his body to take him, it had to take him to the one area he needed to avoid.

"Well, of course they still exist. Have you been buried under a rock? Ms. Lockheart and Master Strife own that bar . . . the rest of them seem to come in and out a lot." The man was studying him closely, he could tell.

"I am new to Midgar. This is the first time I have been here in a long time," Sephiroth said coldly, not enjoying the sensation of being under a microscope. The man backed away from him slowly, his hands held up in front of him.

"I'm sorry Mister . . . didn't mean to insult ya or nuthin. Just thought everyone woulda known." The man walked hurriedly away, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly at the strange man, who still stood looking at the bar. 'What a strange fellow . . .' he thought to himself, before promptly forgetting his run in with the man as he remembered he still had to get the groceries his wife had requested.

Sephiroth stood still for a moment longer before curiousity got the better of him. As a child, he had recieved many a beating for being too curious about things he should not have been . . . this was no different. Ignoring Jenova, who was shrilly reminding him that he was supposed to be AVOIDING his former enemies, he walked into the bar. Finding a table situated in an dimly lit corner, he settled into a chair, his back to the wall, studying the bar's patrons carefully. He tried not to wince as Jenova's voice became louder, ringing in his head as she screamed at him for putting everything at risk for something so foolish as his curiousity.

'Shut up,' he thought back at her calmly. 'I will do as I wish, and there is not a damn thing you can do anymore to stop me. This is purely a test of my disguise . . . who better to test it on then those who hated me the most, and would know me anywhere otherwise?' With that, he planted a firm mental hold on her, and pushed her out of his thoughts entirely. 'Finally . . . alone in my own head . . . at least until she gets over her shock at my being able to do that,' he thought grimly. 'Planet, I wish she would shut up.'

He folded his hands in front of him on the table, the fingerless black gloves fitting like a second skin, hiding the black number 1 on the back of his right hand from sight. That mark alone would have been enough to damn him in this place above all. He'd already had to fend off questions about it on his way here. When asked, he'd calmly told the curious personage that it had been the only way his mother could keep track of all her children. He'd walked away from that lie with an unexplainable tightness in his chest. He had noticed that a lot lately . . . he was feeling emotions that he'd never dealt with before, and it made him feel . . . well, off balance. He had never been forced to face his lack of a conventional childhood so completely. His childhood . . . could it even be called that? He'd never been a child . . . not in the sense that one used the word. He'd been a lab rat, a specimen . . . never truly a child. Shin-Ra's prized possession . . . the super soldier that would become so much more. He snorted at his own thoughts. When would he stop dwelling on his past?

So lost in thought was he that he did not hear the waitress approach until she cleared her throat to get his attention. Startled, his hand shot for the gun strapped to his thigh, the gun he had bought early in his trip to Midgar. It had nearly cleared it's holster before he got control of his instincts again. He raised his eyes to the waitress, and barely managed to keep his shock from showing on his face. The woman wore a pair of black jeans with a red blouse . . . but Sephiroth could very easily recall the figure clad in tight black shorts and a white mid-cut shirt with suspenders. Tifa Lockheart . . . it seemed that the man on the street had been correct after all . . . AVALANCHE was still in Midgar. He carefully met her eyes and was relieved when he saw no hint of recognition in them. She was tense, as if prepared to dodge his weapon had he drawn it, but relaxed when she saw she had his attention.

"My apologies, miss. You startled me," he said quietly. Tifa waved his apology away absently and grinned at him.

"Not a problem. We get plenty of people in here like that . . . I'm used to it. But please, my name isn't miss . . . It's Tifa. Miss just sounds so old, and I don't think I've reached that point just yet," she replied, one hand braced on her hip. "Now . . . what can I get for you?"

"A bowl of your stew, and a mug of beer would be appreciated," he said, laying down the required gil from a pouch at his side. It would feel good to get some real food into his system . . . he'd been living off what he could pick up from hunting along the way, and his cooking skills lacked severely.

Tifa nodded and moved off through the tables, weaving gracefully around patrons and empty chairs alike on her way back to the bar. She quickly called into the kitchen for a bowl of stew, then turned to pour a mug of beer, thinking all the while. There was something familiar about this new patron . . . but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was his startling resemblance to Vincent . . . his hair was much longer, and his eyes were violet, not crimson . . . but physically, they could have been brothers. Shaking off her thoughts, she picked up the bowl of stew and carried both over to his table, setting them down in front of him before picking up the gil he had left out and heading back for the bar. His eyes had glowed . . . which meant he'd had repeated Mako exposure . . . possibly due to some time spent in SOLDIER. She'd have to ask Cloud about it when he got home that night.

Sephiroth ate in silence, listening carefully to the conversations around him. From what bits and snatches he could pick up, Midgar was under reconstruction . . . by a former Shin-Ra executive named Reeve. It sounded to him like this Reeve was one of the few decent individuals that had been working for Shin-Ra . . . and Cloud was working with him. That put at least two of his 'killers' in Midgar . . . but he couldn't find it in himself to be concerned. He didn't plan on staying in the area for long . . . only long enough to get the files from the Corporate computer, and maybe retrieve some of his personal belongings from his old suite, if anything remained. He sat back with his drink to watch the patrons, and Tifa.

Business appeared to be good for the little bar. Ms. Lockheart seemed healthy and happy . . . and she hadn't recognized him. Watching her as she served her patrons, he found himself remembering when he'd first met her in Nibelheim. She had been overly young then, terribly innocent and full of youth's idealism and belief in their own immortality. That was, until he'd slaughtered her father, left her for dead after attacking him, burned her town to the ground while slaughtering every last man, woman, and child . . . his mind shied away from those brutal memories. Contemplating his past crimes would get him no where now . . . he had too much to do to dwell on the past he wished he could erase.

Shaking his head at his own idiocy, he stood slowly, preparing to leave and find lodging for the night. Before he could move, however, a group of men walked in, catching his attention as warning bells went off in his head. He sat back down silently, fading into the shadows as he watched them take a table off to one side of the bar. He sensed trouble . . . but what could they want with such a little bar? It couldn't be making enough money for it to be worth their effort to rob, could it? He maintained his vigil on the group as closing time neared, nursing his one mug of beer as he sat back. Patrons began to trickle out in ones and two's . . .but the men made no move to leave. He found himself wondering why he cared . . . his mind provided him an answer readily enough. Tifa was one of the people he had wronged so horribly . . . and one of the few actually still alive. Perhaps this could begin his repayment for that horror . . . and even though he was a monster, he still had a code of honor, tattered and beaten as it was. He couldn't leave a woman in distress . . . and from the looks of it, Tifa was going to be in for a whole lot of distress.

Finally, there was just the group of men, Tifa, and Sephiroth left in the bar, Tifa having dismissed the other waitresses nearly an hour ago. Sephiroth tensed and faded further back into the shadows as one of the men stood, and locked the door to the street. The other four stood and approached the bar, where Tifa was busily cleaning glasses for the next day.

"It's time for you to pay up, Ms. Lockheart. You've managed to keep from paying for a couple of months now, but your friends aren't here to help you tonight." Tifa turned to glare at the man, her hands fisted on her hips. 'They had to choose tonight . . .' she thought to herself as she eyed the man over the counter. Reeve had kept Cloud late tonight, and Barrett had gone to Costa Del Sol with Marlene for a week on vacation. Vincent was off wandering the remains of Shin-Ra's corporate tower . . . which left her the only fighter in the house. She swore under her breath, and lunged for her gloves. Unfortunately, the man was faster then she had thought he was, judging him by his size as she had. She found herself hauled bodily over the bar and into the air by her wrists, feet dangling off the floor by a good foot. She kicked out, but hit nothing but air as the group laughed at her efforts.

"Now, now, Ms. Lockheart . . ." the man said, "Perhaps, if you are not willing to pay in gil for the protection we offer this sector . . . you could pay in other things." He grabbed her breast roughly through her shirt as she squirmed and glared daggers at him.

"Get your filthy hands off me, you son of a Zolom! I told you we don't need your so called protection, and I meant it. We're not paying you to think you run this sector, jackass!" She kicked out again, hoping against hope that she would connect with something, but the gods of luck weren't with her tonight, it seemed.

"Please, Ms. Lockheart . . . do continue fighting. I like my women with some spirit." He brought her in towards him, intent on kissing her brutally. He froze as a gunshot rang out, and one of his men dropped to the floor, gripping his leg as blood spurted out from his destroyed knee cap. "What the hell . . ." he growled, dropping Tifa to turn towards the source of the bullet. He found himself facing burning violet eyes over the business end of a gun.

"I would suggest you leave . . . now," Sephiroth said quietly, his voice dripping with thinly veiled malice. He spared a glance towards Tifa, pleased to note that she didn't seem hurt, and was creeping behind the bar, presumably to retrieve the weapon she had gone for earlier. He turned his attention back to the thugs, smiling sardonically as they looked him over. 'Yes . . . that's right. Underestimate me . . . what you don't know can really kill you, you ignorant savages.'

"I don't know who you think you are buddy, but we run this sector. And you've just made some deadly enemies." Sephiroth actually laughed at this, his voice as cold as his eyes.

"Deadly enemies? I've seen flies that looked deadlier then you." He watched the man's face grow red in anger, and prepared himself for the charge. He would only be able to take down one with his gun . . . the others were going to be pure melee combat, and he wasn't entirely sure his body was up to it. 'My body had better be up to it.'

*WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? DO YOU WANT TO RUIN EVERYTHING? RISKING YOU LIFE FOR ONE OF YOUR KILLERS?!*

He winced as Jenova's shriek ricocheted around in his head, diverting his attention for a precious second that he didn't have. He missed his opportunity to fire before three men charged him, knocking his gun from his hand and slamming him back against the wall. Sephiroth grunted with the impact, but kept his wits about him. He dropped to his knees, only to roll to the side, coming up to the right of his attackers. He kicked out, his foot making solid contact with one of his opponents ribs. The sickening crunch seemed to echo in his ears as the man went down, blood bubbling from his nostrils.

'There went a lung," he noted absently, as he ducked a fist and jabbed his own into the genitals of a second opponent. The man went down like a sack of dirt, leaving Sephiroth with one opponent, who took a single look at his downed companions and decided he'd had enough, running for the door. Faster then any normal human could have moved, Sephiroth caught up to the man, helping him in his rush for the door by slamming him head first into it. The man bounced back, blood gushing down his face from where the blow had split open his skull.

Sephiroth spun to find Tifa , fighting gloves equipped, pummeling the final adversary into a pulp. Sephiroth retrieved his gun from where it had fallen, replacing it in it's holster as he watched Tifa knock the man unconscious. Walking over, he casually picked up the remaining conscious member . . . the one who's knee he had taken out earlier. Gripping him tightly by his throat, Sephiroth dangled him in the air, glaring up at him.

"Now . . . as I was saying . . . I would suggest you and your 'group' get over this infatuation with Ms. Lockheart and her 'protection'," he growled, shaking the man slightly, keeping in mind that he needed to appear of average strength. Striding over to the door, he unlocked it, and promptly tossed the man out. Retrieving the man's companions, they soon followed him out the door, Sephiroth casually tossing them into the street like the garbage they were. Once they were all outside, he turned to look at Tifa.

She was leaning up against the bar, watching him steadily. He nodded to her solemnly, and turned to step out the door. Her voice stopped him.

"Thank you," she whispered. "They caught me off guard."

"You should never be off guard, Ms. Lockheart. Especially not when you are alone," he said over his shoulder.

"It's been awhile since I had to fight . . . I guess I've gotten out of the habit of always being ready. But, anyway . . . thank you. For rescuing me." He shrugged, turning to look at her.

"It was nothing. I was in the right place at the right time." Violet eyes regarded her seriously. He could only admire her . . . here she had been about to be brutally ravaged by a pack of human scum, and she wasn't even shaking from shock 'An amazing young woman . . .' he thought to himself. 'Cloud should appreciate her.'

*Admiring, are we? You know you can never be anywhere a near a woman like her. You are not human . . . they would be disgusted by you.*

'Thank you so much for reminding me. I had nearly forgotten my place in the scheme of things,' he replied savagely in thought. The very last thing he ever needed to be reminded of was what he was . . . especially from the creature that was the very cause of his inhumanity.

"So, what do I call you?"Tifa asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Seth,"he replied. "Just call me Seth."

"That's it? Just Seth? Most people have last names, you know." Sephiroth sighed, bowing his head in annoyance. He hadn't bothered with a last name . . . he'd never had one before, after all. He suspected Ms. Lockheart was stubborn enough to press him for one, however. 'I should just make some comment and walk out the door now . . . it will only complicate things further if I stay.' It seemed that fate had other plans for him, however, because his mouth supplied her a last name before he had even made a decision.

"Masamune. Seth Masamune," he murmured. He then called himself an idiot about a thousand times for answering her, and for the answer. Luckily, not many people had known the name of his sword, and he highly doubted Tifa was one of those few who did. His assumption was correct when she only nodded, showing no recognition of the name.

"Well then, Seth Masamune . . . thank you for your timely rescue, even if it was by chance." He nodded in reply, and turned to go. At that instant, a gun shot rang out, and he staggered slightly as his shoulder flamed with the impact of the bullet. He caught himself on the door frame, drawing his own gun and looking for the source of the unexpected attack. The man who's knee cap he had shattered stood unsteadily on one leg, holding a gun unsteadily in his hand. 

"You missed," Sephiroth snarled, raising his own gun and sighting down the barrel with deadly intensity. "You have one chance to get the hell out of here before I blow you into the Lifestream, scum. I would take it, if I were you." A hand on his arm distracted him . . . long enough for the guy to stumble away as fast as he could go.

*I don't believe you! Have you lost your mind! That human was trying to kill you! If not for his unsteady hand, he would have hit your heart! You cannot survive everything, you stupid boy! And yet you let him go! You know he will be back!*

'I will not kill unless I am forced to. I have had enough of being a murderer.'

"Seth . . . Seth, are you alright?" Tifa's voice broke into his conversation.

"I am fine, Ms. Lockheart," he murmured, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. All he wanted now was to get out of here . . . he was already pushing his luck further then he had intended. Tifa wasn't fooled by his answer, however.

"Bullshit, mister. You need to get that treated . . . come on, I'll take care of it." She tugged him back into the bar, shutting the door firmly before directing him into a chair.

*This is dangerous, you moron. She'll see those scars, and you KNOW she's not stupid enough to not connect them with who you are . . . they are rather distinctive, you fool.*

'Shut up. You're not helping matters any by distracting me from getting out of here . . . I know she could recognize the scars. I'm not brain dead.'

*That I highly doubt. You were dumb enough to walk in here in the first place, and then rescue her. What happened to the Great General Sephiroth?*

'You killed him, Jenova. I am just another person now . . . and that is how I want it to be. I never asked to be the Great General . . . or the experiment.'

*You fool! You can't escape your past, and you can't escape who you are . . . WHAT you are! You are . . .*

'Not your pawn anymore. Now . . . SHUT . . . UP! Believe me, I will get out of here as soon as I can. I am not quite suicidal yet.'

"Seth . . . that wound must really hurt for you to make a face like that. Come on, let me see it . . . you should have stripped by now." Sephiroth arched an eyebrow in amusement as she blushed when she realized what she said. "I mean . . . ummm . . . oh, for heaven's sake, just take your damn coat and shirt off!" He couldn't help but grin slightly at her discomfort, and stood, shrugging out of his coat, but leaving his shirt on. He pulled down the shoulder of his shirt, baring the wound to her.

"The shirt has got to go too, you know."

"No it doesn't . . . you can see the wound quite clearly without me taking my shirt off." Something inside him made him add, "Unless, of course, you would like me to take it off for . . . other reasons." He winced as she cuffed the back of his head, but couldn't help keep the slight quirk of his lips from happening. He found he was enjoying this verbal sparring match . . . he'd never been able to do it with anyone before . . . well, other then Zack.

"I'm engaged, buddy, so get that thought right out of your head," she growled, before setting to work on his shoulder. He bore it stoically, wincing only slightly as she dug around for the bullet with her tweezers before getting a firm hold on it and pulling it out. He remained silent as she stitched the wound and bandaged it, his head bowed in concentration, hair pulled carefully to the side.

"You take pain surprisingly well," Tifa commented as she finished binding his shoulder and stepped back to look at her work. Sephiroth shrugged his shoulder, content that the bandage did not restrict his movement, and stood, carefully getting back into his coat.

"Pain is something you can learn to ignore, if you have suffered it enough," he murmured, retrieving his pack from the floor. He was slowly hoisting it over his shoulder, ready to finally leave this place that he should not linger in, when the bar's front door slammed open, and several people poured into the bar.

"TIFA!" Cloud shouted, before stumbling to a halt when he found her standing quietly beside a tall stranger, her face slightly amused.

"Yes Cloud?" She found herself suddenly caught up in a huge hug, and struggled to breathe. "Cloud . . . air . . ." she gasped.

"Oh . . . yeah. Sorry Teef," he muttered sheepishly, setting her back on her feet. He turned to look at the stranger, who was watching them with something akin to longing in his eyes. It was then that he noticed the blood. "Holy shit, Tifa, are you okay?"

Sephiroth watched them silently as Tifa hurried to reassure Cloud that none of the blood was hers. Was that what it was like to be cared for? A dull pain started in his chest, one that he steadfastly tried to ignore. He had been getting it a lot lately, and was still unsure of what to make of it. Condemned to live without love . . . without anyone ever truly caring for him . . . was he truly such a monster that he didn't deserve it? He pushed such sentimental and unnecessary thoughts from his head, choosing instead to focus on the people who had entered the bar with Cloud. One man, dressed in a business suit, he didn't recognize at all . . . but the other he knew very well indeed. His appearance had changed little . . . black clothes over which hung a cloak red as blood, a brass claw ending one arm, the other still-human hand resting on a gun at his hip. Violet eyes met glowing crimson in wary contemplation. Vincent Valentine . . . former Turk and fellow experiment, short term member of AVALANCHE . . . and one of his deadliest enemies, once upon a time. He was abruptly brought back to his current situation by two fingers snapping in front of his face.

"Planet to Seth, Planet to Seth . . . come on Seth, I know Vincent is a bit dark, but you don't need to stare so hard. He's really an okay guy," Tifa said, once she had his attention. Sephiroth glanced down at her, then turned his attention to Cloud, who stuck his hand out in greeting.

"Hiya. I'm Cloud, Tifa's fiancee and part owner of the bar. Thanks for helping her out . . . I had to stay late to work tonight." Sephiroth took his hand, shaking it once before releasing it.

"It was not a problem . . . I was already here. I could not just sit back and watch," he murmured. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable . . . there were just too many people who had known him as the insane killer in this one room for his liking. This was going far out of the way of his plans . . . and it looked to only be going further still. He knew he should get out of there . . . but something held him . . . some half formed hope buried deep in his heart that he could stay in this warm friendliness just a little while longer. It was all so new to him . . . he wanted to experience the warmth of acceptance, just once.

Vincent studied the stranger carefully, taking note of his tense stance and obvious discomfort. Something about him just seemed familiar . . . and certain things stood out in Vincent's mind that didn't add up to the picture. The man was tall . . . at least as tall as he was, and well muscled, which seemed to state that he was used to fighting for his life. But his musculature didn't match up to his choice in weapons . . . he had the build of a man who used a sword, not a gun, and this was what set alarm bells off in Vincent's head. Something didn't feel right . . . the man was hiding something, but what? And why would he be so uncomfortable in their presence? Vincent hated puzzles . . . especially when said puzzles had just saved one of his friends.

"Cloud . . . they're getting worse. They knew you and the guys wouldn't be here tonight . . . that means they've been watching the place. Maybe it's time we did what we discussed a couple of weeks ago," Tifa was saying. "With Barrett out of town right now, and you working late with Reeve . . . that only leaves Vincent, and he shouldn't have to baby sit me. He's got his own things to do . . ." Cloud sighed and ran a hand through his unruly spikes of hair, making them stand up worse.

"Alright Teef . . . I don't like it, but you're right. They're getting more dangerous . . . you got anyone in mind for the position?" Giggling, Tifa reached over and poked Sephiroth in the chest. Sephiroth, startled, took a step back before catching himself. Casual touch was not something he did well . . . too often in his young life, a touch of any kind had meant pain. That programming had been instilled into him since his birth, and he still had problems with how casually most people seemed to touch each other. To him, touch meant pain, so he avoided it as much as possible. He always had . . . and he knew that he probably always would. Another legacy of Hojo that kept him from rejoining humanity at large.

"I think Seth here would be perfect, Cloud. He's new in town, so he doesn't have a job or a place to stay yet, and he's already shown that he's capable of it." He snapped out of his thoughts and stared down at Tifa in disbelief. Him . . . play bodyguard / bouncer? In the very den of his 'killers'? Fate really did have one hell of a sense of humor, and was having way too much fun with him. "What do you say, Seth? Would you be willing? We'll pay, and provide room and board." He stared down into her face. She was so earnest . . . he sighed internally. What had he gotten himself into? 'I knew I should have walked out earlier . . . how do I say no?' Once again, fate stepped in and decided for him.

"I'll do it," he murmured . . . and promptly wondered if he'd taken leave of his senses.

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN - Well . . . like it? Hate it? Let me know. Just remember, Seph is immune to fire : )


	3. Discoveries

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the character's of Final Fantasy VII . . . but Seph is my muse, so leave him alone : )

  
  


AN - Okay . . . the reason why I'm not resurrecting Aeris . . . well, I just don't see a need for it at this time. It's not that I don't like the character of Aeris . . . I just don't need her this time around : ) And now, on to the story.

  
  


Chapter 3 - Discoveries

  
  


Nearly two and a half months later, he still found himself in Midgar. The search through Hojo's files was going slowly . . . much more so then he would have liked. The man's way of reporting and filing his findings had been as twisted as the man himself. There was no logic, no pattern to his files . . . something that Sephiroth, with his usually ordered and logical thoughts, was hard pressed not to blow up at. He had debated putting his fist through his computer screen any number of times from sheer frustration, but had stopped himself, knowing that allowing his temper free reign would only prolong the issue.

So, here he was, still in Midgar, still pretending to be a man he was not . . . and growing more concerned daily over the delay. It was not that he minded where he was . . . not at all, for in the months since he'd retrieved his belongings, he'd only grown fonder of the people who had been his former enemies. They were such an intriguing group of people . . . he couldn't help but sit back sometimes and wonder what his life could be like if he could stay here forever. But it was an impossible dream . . . no matter how much he wished otherwise.

"That is quite enough. Tifa is engaged, and has already asked you politely not to attempt to fondle her. I am not so nice . . . out you go," he growled, ejecting another overly drunk male from the bar, closing the door firmly behind the man before returning to his seat at the bar. Tifa smiled to him gratefully, and he nodded in reply before turning back to his single mug of beer. He knew Tifa was amused by his overly protective attitude towards her . . . he was hard pressed to understand it himself. He happened to glance down into his mug of beer, and grinned slightly to himself when he noticed there was more in the container then there had been when he had left it.

"Tifa . . . are you purposefully trying to get me drunk?" he murmured as she settled into a stool nearby, taking a much needed break from the floor.

"Why would I do that?" she replied, her grin giving her away. He snorted, glancing over at her before turning to examine the bar's patrons once again.

"Perhaps in the hopes that I will be more forthcoming about my past if you manage to get me 'smashed'," he said, and a slight smile graced his lips as she blushed, having been caught.

"I'm sorry Seth . . . it's just that you're such a mystery . . . you never speak of why you came to Midgar, or where you came from . . . one can't help but wonder if you are hiding from something . . ."

"Some things are best left a mystery, Tifa. I came to Midgar to escape my past and redeem it . . . as for where I came from . . . that is not important."

Oh, but they would find it EXTREMELY important, wouldn't they? And you can't escape your past . . . not forever.

'I do not believe I was talking to you. Get out of my conversations.'

Tifa sighed and turned her attention back to her customers as 'Seth' fell silent. They'd known him nearly three months now, and he was still as much of a mystery as he had been the day he'd rescued her. He spent most of his time off duty down in the basement, doing something on a computer he had bought, and when he was on duty, he did his job quietly and efficiently. The rest of the AVALANCHE members had fully accepted him, and even considered him a friend. He had a stunning intellect, and a quick wit . . . much like Vincent when he wasn't brooding. He had gained enormous amounts of respect since that first night with the whole group . . . even if he was withdrawn and closed off at times. He never talked about himself . . . but then, they were all used to that. Many of them had pasts that they wished they could forget. Shoving those thoughts aside, she wondered briefly if the rest of the group was okay. They were out combing the streets for Sephiroth again . . . although she doubted they would find him. There had been no sign of him at all since the break in . . . they had all begun to wonder if maybe Seth was right, and it had just been a looter with a lucky penchant for codes.

Beside her, Sephiroth stood up, glancing at the clock behind the bar.

"Tifa . . . it is nearly closing time. I will get rid of these last few patrons, and we can begin to clean up for tomorrow, if that is all right with you?" Tifa nodded, standing to go into the kitchen and tell the waitresses they could go home for the night as Sephiroth moved to gather up the few remaining people and usher them out the door.

Sephiroth was ejecting the last patron from the bar when he glanced out the door and froze. The street was empty . . . and terribly quiet. 'Something is not right,' he thought to himself. Even at this hour of night, the street should have been littered with at least a few pedestrians . . . but currently, there were none in sight. He stepped outside, locking the bar door behind him before descending the stairs and looking around. It was then that he spotted the group of men approaching the bar.

"Shit," he muttered. He'd left his gun inside, and from the looks of it, this group was armed to the teeth, unlike the last time they had tried this. They'd more then doubled their numbers too. 

Get out of there, you foolish boy. This is not your fight . . . you have a destiny to fulfil . . . they are liars, filthy human parasites . . .

"They are my friends . . . as long as they know me as Seth, that is . . . and I WILL defend them if I so choose to do so. It is you who is the liar . . . and you should know by now that I will not listen to you," he muttered under his breath. He was relieved he'd had the presence of mind to lock the bar door behind him. Tifa was safe . . . there was no way he would allow any of this human scum to get past him to her. In the past three months, being around the members of AVALANCHE, talking with them . . . Sephiroth had come to understand a lot about human nature . . . and had discovered things within himself that he doubted would have ever come to light otherwise. Therefore, he would defend all of them . . . his friends, his teachers . . . no matter what came up, as long as he was here. This would be the end of it all, however . . . and he knew it. His gun was inside . . . which meant he would have to summon the Masamune, and that would be the finale if anyone actually saw him do it, or fight with it. Only one person had ever wielded a blade like it . . . and only one person ever would. 'So be it,' he thought. 'I have had more time here then should have been given to me anyway. I have some of the information I required . . . that will have to be enough.' He had one final moment of regret . . . because if anyone saw, it would be Tifa . . . a woman he had come to cherish in such a short time. He knew, of all of them, that Tifa had the worst memories of his former self . . . and seeing him would bring them all back. He had heard, from Cloud, of the number of times she had woken up screaming or crying, reliving that day in Nibelheim. He only hoped that she would not see him now . . . but he suspected that was an idle and fruitless hope.

Sighing, he stood facing the approaching men with determination stamped upon his face, his hands empty and hanging at his side.

"Well, well . . . if it isn't the unknown savior. Still hanging around, are you? Well, this time you're not gonna stop us . . . we're better armed and there are more of us. Ms. Lockheart owes us money, and this time she's gonna pay . . . one way or the other." The leader stopped a few feet away, signaling his men to fan out around the solitary figure.

"You will not get by me to have a chance at Tifa. Now leave, before I am forced to draw blood," Sephiroth growled. "You are only going to get this one chance to get out of here. I would suggest you take it."

"You're unarmed, and over-powered seventeen to one. You're the one who should take the chance to get out of here."

"The door is locked, boss. We'll have to break it down if we're gonna get in," one of the men called out. 

"That's fine. We'll take care of this idiot first, then pay Ms. Lockheart a visit." He scowled at the black haired man standing in his way, and motioned to his men. Only a few held guns, Sephiroth noted . . . the rest held knives and short swords. Shaking his head at the folly of these imbeciles, he extended his hand.

DON'T DO IT! YOU'LL GIVE YOURSELF AWAY! RUN, YOU STUBBORN BOY!

Ignoring the ranting voice of Jenova, he stared hard at the surrounding gang.

"Last chance. Leave now, and you leave with your lives. Stay, and you guarantee your deaths." His voice was cold, the voice of death itself . . . death as he had once been not long ago. He watched as the men laughed, some raising their guns to fire as others advanced upon him. "So be it."

Shots rang out across the still night, and the gang gaped in shock as a six foot blade materialized from thin air, moving with an easy grace to block every single bullet. The blade hummed as the bullets ricocheted into nearby buildings, and Sephiroth swung it easily into ready position, the blade held at eye level. He stared down at the advancing men, violet eyes glowing eerily in the dim light of the Midgar night, the blade catching and reflecting the meager illumination.

"Come then . . . and die. My blade hungers for your blood," he murmured coldly. More shots rang out, bullets that he once again easily deflected. The nearest men charged him as he was distracted, getting in a few lucky shots before the blade of the Masamune found them. Sephiroth absently fingered a hole in his shirt, staring down at the blood that coated his fingers before he brought them to his lips, licking his blood from them. "My turn," he whispered, and charged.

Tifa watched in awe from the window, stunned into immobility by the appearance of the blade in 'Seth's' hand. The blade sparked memories that she had thought long buried, and she gasped as it hit her.

"Seth . . . Seth is . . . Sephiroth!" she whispered hoarsely, her eyes following the familiar figure as he charged towards the gathered thugs, watching them scramble to move out of the path of the blade. Crimson blood flowed as men fell under the sword, and she gasped as some thugs got close enough to land deep wounds on the swordsman. 

A light rain had begun to fall, but Sephiroth was beyond noticing, deep into his battle mode as he was, his concentration fully on the blade in his hand and the opponent's before him. He could feel cuts decorating his sides and arms, and one along his cheek, near his eye. He was beyond caring, not noticing the dye that began to wash slowly out of his hair, revealing his trademark platinum strands, plastering them to his face along with the blood of his opponents.

'It is him . . . oh, Planet . . . Seth is Sephiroth . . . what the hell is going on? Oh heavens, I don't understand any of this . . . it's been him all along . . . but he's been so different, not like Sephiroth at all . . . but the proof is there, right in front of my eyes . . . what will the other's do, if they see him . . . will they know it's Seth . . . What am I thinking! They'll kill him! I have to stop him, I have to get him back in his disguise . . . wait! Why do I want to protect him?! He's a monster, a killer . . . but, it's Seth . . . I'm so confused . . . what should I do!?' Tifa tried to still her raging thoughts and think logically, but logic failed her as she watched the black hair fade into the platinum color that was so unnatural. "Come through this, Seth . . . don't let this be the beginning of the end," she murmured. "I don't understand any of it . . . but I want to . . . I want to know why . . ."

More gunshots rang out, some actually finding their mark as Sephiroth darted in and out of the gathered thugs. He grunted as one hit his shoulder, and another embedded itself in his back His battle plans shifted to take out the gunners first, and he turned towards them, turning his back on the end of the street to charge the gun men. Because of this, he didn't see the members of AVALANCHE round the corner, and stop dead at the sight of him locked in battle in front of Seventh Heaven.

"Holy Shit, that's fucking Sephiroth! He's right fucking there!" Cid said, starting to run forward, only to be stopped by Vincent's hand.

"Wait," Vincent murmured, studying the scene before him carefully before turning to Cloud. "Do you see what I see, Cloud?" Cloud nodded, his expression stunned.

"That's Sephiroth all right . . . but look at what he's wearing. Those are the clothes that Seth usually wears . . . and if what I'm seeing is right . . . it looks like Sephiroth is defending Seventh Heaven."

"No way," Barrett muttered. "Ain't no way in hell that what we're seein' is true."

"No . . . I think Cloud is right," Reeve said. "It looks like we found where Sephiroth has been this entire time we've been looking for him . . . right under our noses . . . as Seth."

Nanaki remained silent, listening to the conversation around him, remembering his own conversation with Sephiroth. Would they give Sephiroth the chance he had earned as Seth . . . or would their hatred of him over ride the friendship they had developed with him? He watched as Sephiroth dispatched another gun toting thug in a whirl of silver and crimson, turning to face another as he took a slug in the gut. He bent over the wound, but stood again quickly, advancing quietly across the pavement. The gun man, seeing death approaching him, broke and dropped his gun, running as fast as he could from the apparition before his eyes. That left the leader, who stared speechless at the 'harmless' man who had decimated his entire group, as the apparition of death turned to face him. The man shook as his thoughts provided him a name to that apparition . . . Sephiroth, a veritable god of death.

"I would suggest you run . . . now," Sephiroth murmured in a voice colder then space. The leader nodded shakily, and took off, his flight unsteady with panic driven muscles. Sephiroth, coming out of his battle rage, staggered suddenly, dismissing the Masamune to catch himself on a nearby lamp post. He looked up, and his eyes widened as he locked gazes with Cloud. They stared at each other, down the length of the street, Sephiroth using the post to remain on his feet. 'This . . . is not good . . .' he thought through the haze of pain.

The sound of a door crashing open and running feet broke the stare off as Tifa rushed into the street, taking one look at Cloud before stopping in front of Sephiroth, her back to him.

"Don't kill him! He's not the same! He just protected me and Seventh Heaven! Please . . . we have to give him a chance to explain!" Tifa called out, holding her arms wide, her body blocking Sephiroth from a direct attack by Vincent and Barrett's guns. 'I can't believe I'm doing this,' she thought to herself, but her heart told her it was the right thing to do. She remembered his comments from the night AVALANCHE had first gathered to discuss the break in . . . he'd been talking about himself, after all.

"Tifa . . ." Cloud called out, stunned by her actions. Tifa, of all people, was the last person he would have expected to be standing up for the man behind her.

"Tifa . . ." Sephiroth whispered from behind her, also stunned by her actions, but not into immobility. He lay a careful hand on her shoulder. "Thank you . . . and I apologize . . . for lying to you," he murmured, his voice hoarse with pain. "I just wanted . . .some time . . . to be human." He shoved off from the post and pushed his body into a run, ignoring the muscles that were screaming at him to stop and heal the wounds he had taken. Tifa cried out for him to stop, but he ignored her, running once again from his past . . . and from the normal life he had tasted for a short time. He gasped as his wounds throbbed, but he shoved the pain away, intent only on getting as far from AVALANCHE as he could before they came after him. He wouldn't . . . no, he couldn't, allow them to stop him from killing Jenova.

In a haze of pain, Jenova calling him a fool thousands of times in his head, he made his way to the abandoned Shin-Ra headquarters, staggering up the steps to his old suite in a fog of agony. Punching in the code, unaware of the blood coating his fingers and dripping from his wounds, he stumbled into the room, shutting the door behind him and dead bolting it before collapsing onto his former bed, his body lapsing into unconsciousness.

  
  


*----------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


Tifa sank listlessly onto a bar stool, her eyes staring out into the street, seeing in her mind once again the battle that had raged just an hour ago. 'I can't believe . . . that was Sephiroth. Seth was Sephiroth . . . but he was so different . . .' her mind chanted over and over again. She stood abruptly as the bar door opened, admitting the rest of AVALANCHE, all of whom looked worn and stunned at the same time.

"There was no sign of him Teef," Cloud said, forestalling her question. "We followed the trail of blood he left to some sort of access panel, but it disappeared into thin air. He's gone."

"No . . . he can't be. He was wounded pretty badly, I could tell by his voice . . . he can't have gone far . . ." she murmured, shaking her head.

"Man . . . I still can't believe it. Seth was Sephiroth . . . that's jus' weird . . . hey, no wonda he won that drinkin' contest!" Tifa sighed as Barrett rambled on, voicing the thought that was on everyone's mind. The man they had come to regard as a friend . . . the man who had now twice protected Tifa and Seventh Heaven . . . was the very same man who had been their sworn enemy, who was supposed to have been dead for over a year now. Every person in the room had one thought . . . was he friend, or was he foe? Cloud, silencing Barrett's baritone vocals, stood near the door, his back leaning against it, his shoulders slumped.

"Look . . . I'm just as stunned as the rest of you. I'd gotten really close to 'Seth' . . . he was a great guy, and I considered him a good friend . . ." Nanaki interrupted him suddenly, his voice cold and emotionless, something that stunned the rest of AVALANCHE. They had never heard that tone of voice from the Cosmo Canyon Guardian before.

"You speak as if he is dead, Cloud. Seth still exists . . . does it really change the man we have come to know as Seth now that we have discovered who he truly is? You have all said, at one time or another, what a great guy Seth is, and how much you value him as a friend . . . do you not think that Seth is the person Sephiroth could have been, if circumstances had allowed for it? I have heard several of you over the last couple of months discussing Hojo's files, and the atrocities the man committed, many of them against his own son . . . those things left scars on Sephiroth that eventually overwhelmed him. Had none of that happened, have you ever stopped to consider what Sephiroth could have become? Not a killer, but a warrior? Not a monster, but a man?" Nanaki stood abruptly, staring at all of them before continuing. "You humans truly are strange animals if you would throw away such a valued friendship because of who he was, without weighing in the events of the past three months." With a swish of his tail, he left the room. Silence followed in his wake, as each individual in the room took his words to heart and mind.

"You know . . . I think Nanaki is right," Cloud said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Remember what he said, back when the break in occurred? 'There are always two sides to a story'? Maybe there was more to that whole thing then we knew. I think . . . that we need to find him and here the other side of the story. Tifa was right too . . . he's changed. He's not the same man . . . he couldn't be, not to have fooled us all as he did." Vincent suddenly spoke, startling everyone.

"I agree Cloud. It is the least we can do . . . we owe him the chance to explain himself, especially since he put his own life on the line to save Tifa, not once, but twice." Sighing, he stood. "I have an idea where he might have gone . . . that access panel is to a ladder that leads to the upper plate. He may have gone back to his quarters in the abandoned building, thinking perhaps we would not expect it. I will go there, and see what I can find."

"I'm going with you," Tifa said, in a voice that allowed no room for argument. "He seems to trust me . . . more so, I think, then he would if any of you went."

  
  


*---------*---------*--------*--------*

  
  


They'll be coming for you . . . you should have run farther, left Midgar. I warned you . . . I told you they would find out eventually, but you wouldn't listen. Now my plans are in danger before they are even begun, and you are wounded so badly I can't even force you to move.

Sephiroth moaned, turning his head in an attempt to escape her voice, to no avail. 

"Leave me alone . . . I will not do anything that you wish . . . I just want to complete my mission . . ." he muttered in his sleep, grimacing as his body slowly healed the wounds he had taken. It would be days before he healed all of them though . . . something Jenova knew quite well.

You still defy me . . . you are mine, boy. You can't escape me, you never could. I am a part of you, I am your destiny, I am your master! I have allowed you this small flight of fantasy you have taken, but no longer. You will do as I command . . . you will fulfill our destiny and cleanse this planet for my designs . . . you cannot escape it . . . fighting it is just prolonging the agony of the stupid farce you insist on carrying out. You cannot have friends, you cannot have a life . . . YOU ARE MINE!

"No . . ." he whimpered, his hands clasping his head in agony, trying to force her from his thoughts, to regain a sense of equilibrium. There was a crash in the other room, startling him to consciousness. He staggered to his feet, rolling from the bed to put his back to the window . . . readying himself to dive through it if necessary. He couldn't allow them to stop him . . . not now, not when he was so close to finding the answer . . .

"The blood trail is here . . . he has to be in here . . ." Vincent's voice.

I told you. GO! Go now, before they can catch you and kill you. They know who you are now, they won't stop until you are dead . . . they hate you, you disgust them . . .

Distracted by Jenova and his fight with her for control, he did not realize that Vincent and Tifa had walked into the bedroom, and were now close enough to slow him down if he attempted anything.

"Seth . . . Sephiroth . . . please, stop . . . please, just let us help you . . ." Tifa . . . what was Tifa doing there?

"Tifa . . ." he murmured, holding his head in one hand as he pressed the other to the glass behind him. "No . . . I will not listen to you . . ." The agony in his head, in his body, was clouding his mind . . . he was slowly going under . . . falling to Jenova again . . .

SHE IS THE ENEMY! THEY ARE ALL THE ENEMY! THEY ALL MUST DIE!

"Sephiroth . . . Seth . . . we're here to help you . . . please, let us help you . . ." A warm hand touched his arm, and he started in shock, forcing his eyes to focus on the worried woman before him. He shoved her away, the effort dropping him to his knees. He had to protect her . . . had to get her away from him before Jenova pulled him in . . .

"Tifa . . . no, just stay away from me . . . Jenova . . . I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOU!" he howled as Jenova ripped through his mind, trying to force him to comply with her wishes. He gripped his head in his hands, trying to block out the voice screaming at him to run, to kill them, to succumb to her will . . .

"We have no choice, Tifa . . . we have to sedate him . . ." A sharp sting against his neck, and blessed darkness closed over his mind, bringing silence and an end to the agony. 'Thank you, Vincent . . .'

Tifa looked on in concern as Sephiroth collapsed, Vincent catching him before he could hit the floor. Nanaki padded over to sniff at him before turning to Tifa.

"Who was he talking to . . ." Tifa wondered, staring at the enigmatic figure that Vincent carefully draped over his shoulder.

"Jenova . . . it appears that she is still with him, but that he is still managing to fight her off," Nanaki murmured. A glance passed between the three, and solemnly they carried their unconscious burden back to Seventh Heaven.

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


Tifa wrung out the cloth, placing it back over Sephiroth's forehead, smoothing the platinum hair back out of the way as she lay it down on the fevered flesh. 

"I just can't believe it . . ." she murmured, staring down at the pale face of her one time enemy with concern and puzzlement written all over her face.

"Neither can the rest of us, Teef . . . he should be dead," Cloud replied, from where he lounged against a nearby wall. They had determined to take shifts keeping an eye on their guest, two per shift, especially since it seemed Jenova was still trying to regain control of him and use him to further her goals. Tifa and Cloud had volunteered for the first watch . . . Tifa in order to keep a good eye on his healing, and Cloud so he could talk to Tifa.

"Well . . . it seems that your dreams were in truth glimpses of the future . . . at least now, we'll get a chance to see if your suspicions about him were correct," she replied, turning to look at him. He nodded, and sighed.

"Yeah . . . although I'd say they were already confirmed by his actions over the past three months. He's just not the same guy . . . he couldn't be. He may have been a good actor . . . but no one is that good to keep an act that convincing up for three months straight." He straightened. "Vincent said he was fighting with Jenova when you guys found him?" Tifa nodded.

"Yes . . . it seemed she was trying to get him to do something . . . he pushed me away, trying to protect me while he was fighting with her . . . he seemed to be in a lot of mental pain."

"So he still has his mind at least. But, what puzzles me is why he came to Midgar. What is he after here? If he just wanted to live his life, he could have disappeared into one of the backwater towns and no one would have ever known he was alive . . . so why did he come here, where he must have known he would chance being discovered?" Cloud began to pace, his hands tucked in his pockets. "I just don't get it . . ." Sephiroth groaned suddenly, drawing two sets of worried and cautious eyes back to his prone figure.

Violet eyes flickered open, puzzlement showing in their gaze before comprehension dawned and they turned to meet Tifa's gaze.

"Shit," he murmured softly, struggling to rise. A firm hand planted on his chest halted his movement, and he turned to regard Cloud with something akin to amusement shining in his otherwise lifeless eyes. "I suppose I'm under the classification of prisoner?" he asked quietly, staring up into mako blue eyes, his voice resigned, without emotion. Cloud shook his head.

"No. We brought you here to treat your wounds . . . and because you're the man we've come to know as Seth, who just happens to be our friend. The fact that we know who you really are now . . . just complicates things a bit."

"Sephiroth . . . why did you do it? Why pretend for the past three months?" Tifa asked quietly, drawing his attention back to her. 

"Why do you care? I did it and I do not regret any of it. Why not just kill me and get it over with?" he growled, turning his head away from their curious eyes. He didn't want to see the disgust and hatred . . . not now, not from them. He was surprised when Tifa answered him softly, her voice gentle.

"Because you are our friend . . . even if you have been lying to us. We want to hear the other side of the story." He sighed, shifting slightly before answering, trying to order his thoughts, still refusing to meet their gaze.

"I had not planned on it . . . it just happened. I came to Midgar to get information on the Jenova Project . . . real information, not the lies I learned in Nibelheim . . ." He winced as the name of that doomed town passed his lips, but continued. "I stopped into the bar that night out of curiosity, and because it would severely annoy that wretched creature." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "I stepped in to protect you, and then you offered me that position . . . it felt so right, to be doing something good for you, who I cost so much . . . and it just happened . . . days turned into weeks, weeks into months . . . and even after I got most the information I needed, I was reluctant to move on, because . . . because I was happy, for the first time in my life. I had friends, I had a home, a job . . . all things that I did for ME, not for someone or something else, but for me." He paused for a moment before continuing softly. "I knew . . . I knew I was being foolish, that eventually the truth would come out . . . but I kept hoping that maybe . . . just maybe I could have a little more time . . . a little more time to live a life I had never had before I had to continue on with my mission . . ."

"What mission, Sephiroth? Why did you come to Midgar?" Cloud asked. "Why do you need the information on the Jenova project?"

"To kill her. To find out how to destroy Jenova once and for all." Cloud stared down at him in complete shock. Sephiroth was out to kill Jenova? He was silent for a few moments, mulling that surprising bit of information over in his mind before asking his next question

"We heard that Jenova is still alive. But how?!"

There was no answer. Cloud stared down at the once proud general . . . the man who had been the enemy. He lay so still . . . silent to the point of death. He'd succumbed to unconsciousness once again. Cloud couldn't help but wonder - had he been right all along? Had Sephiroth really been only a puppet, as Cloud had once been?

"Well . . ." Cloud murmured. "That gives us a whole hell of a lot to think about."


	4. Now What?

  
  


Disclaimer - I do not own any of the character's of Final Fantasy VII . . . but Seph is my muse, so leave him alone : )

  
  


Author's Note : Thank go out to all my reviewers who like this story. You guys make writing all worth while. Please, continue to enjoy and review : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 4 - Now What?

  
  


AVALANCHE gathered in the bar the following morning, many of them showing signs of a sleepless night spent pondering the current turn of events. Out of all of them, only Vincent and Nanaki appeared anywhere near conscious . . . but sleepless nights were normal for them anyway.

"So . . . now what?" Barrett spoke into the silence, bringing them out of their individual thoughts. "We know he's alive, and we know where he is . . . now what do we do? It's obvious he's not gonna stay dead . . ."

"We're not going to kill him," Cloud said firmly, his spiky hair waving as he shook his head. "We have no reason to . . . it would be nothing short of murder to kill him now . . . when he's done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong! Damn, Cloud, you mean to fucking tell me that you have forgotten every single fucking thing that motherless bastard did? He tried to destroy the whole fucking planet! He murdered Aeris! He burnt down your home town and killed every damn person who lived there!" Cid shouted, unconcerned that the object of his rant was only a few feet away, unconscious in the next room. Tifa broke in quietly.

"The man in that room didn't do any of that . . ." she murmured, drawing Cid's unbelieving stare and everyone else's quiet regard. "Yes . . . Sephiroth did do all of that . . . but that Sephiroth is not the same man who has been with us for the past three months. He's not the same . . . I can't explain it . . . I don't understand it myself . . . but there is more to this whole story then we originally knew. I . . . I can't hate him for what he did in the past, when he is so different now." Tifa shrugged uncomfortable, lifting her gaze to meet Cloud's across the room. "Plus . . . well . . . Cloud, will you tell them?" Cloud blinked, then turned red as everyone turned to look at him.

"Tell us what?" Vincent asked quietly. Cloud shrugged, and proceeded to tell everyone of the conversation he and Tifa had with Sephiroth during their watch. Tifa, suffering from slight sleep depravation, was hard pressed not to giggle at the looks on some of her friends faces. 'I wish I had a camera,' she thought hazily.

"So . . . he wants basically to just destroy Jenova, once and for all. That's all he's after now. That's why he came to Midgar . . . to get information that he hoped would help him find a way to kill her and keep her dead for good," Cloud finished up. He had deliberately left out why Sephiroth had acted as 'Seth' however . . . that was his business to tell the others, if he chose. He should have known that would be a question everyone wanted answered though.

"But . . . if that's all he was after, why the charade as Seth? Why not just break into the building, get the files, and leave?" Reeve asked thoughtfully. "I mean . . . wouldn't that have been easier?" A strained but refined voice answered from the doorway behind them, making them all turn in surprise.

"Easier . . . yes, it would have been . . . and originally that was exactly what I planned to do," Sephiroth murmured, leaning against the door frame weakly, his platinum hair hiding his face from sight as he stared down at the floor. Tifa stood and walked to his side quickly.

"You shouldn't be up yet . . . you're still healing . . ." she murmured. He shrugged, a slight smile crossing his lips mockingly. 

"Well . . . the condemned man should always hear the sentence from the lips that pass judgement on him, so they say . . ." He chuckled slightly, then gasped as the bullet wound in his stomach flared at the sudden movement. The hand clutching the door frame whitened at the knuckles, and the wood groaned in protest.

"You are not a condemned man," Tifa whispered. "Please . . . you have to get back in bed . . ."

"No." Pushing off from the door frame, he staggered to a nearby chair and collapsed into it, pushing his hair out of his face absently as he looked around at the gathered AVALANCHE members, expecting to see disgust, hatred . . . he was somewhat surprised to see amusement instead.

"Nice to see some things about you haven't changed . . . you are still one stubborn son of a bitch," Cloud said, smiling slightly as Sephiroth glanced up at him and snorted.

"I just choose to be aware of my fate . . . I dislike wandering around in the dark," Sephiroth replied, sighing. "To answer your question Reeve . . . my staying here was completely unexpected and not at all a part of any 'plan'. I fully intended to avoid all of you, if at all possible."

"Then why didn't you?" Vincent broke in quietly. "Why did you come to the one place where you knew you would run in to some of us?" Sephiroth just looked at him quietly.

"I was not paying attention to where I was going at first . . . and ended up in front of Seventh Heaven. Out of a . . . perverse need to irritate Jenova," he spat the name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "I walked in here, telling myself it was the best test of my disguise. The following events of that night were definitely not planned . . . but I could not just sit by and watch as Tifa was raped. Afterwards, it seemed to be a good idea . . . it would give me a place to stay until I retrieved the information and would give me a cover for being in Midgar should anyone ask. I never intended . . ." He paused, considering his words carefully. " I never intended for it to go as far as it did . . . I should have left after I broke into my room and got the information and my belongings. But . . . you had become my friends, as Seth . . . and I wanted it to last a little longer . . . a good memory to take with me . . ."

"Why didn't you take off last night, before the fight? Tifa said you had left your gun behind . . . you must have known that the minute you used the sword we would begin to put the pieces together," Reeve asked. Sephiroth glared at him, his mako eyes shifting to green in anger, having taken the colored lenses out before he let them know he was conscious again.

"And what? Leave Tifa to be beaten, or raped and tortured? What kind of animal do you think I am?!" he snarled, before his anger guttered in the wake of what he'd said. "Forget I said that . . . we all know what I am . . . I suppose leaving Tifa to fend for herself would have been the natural thing for me to do once upon a time . . ." He sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat before looking back up at the assembled group. "I do not expect you to trust me . . . I lied to you, and I have done horrible things in my past . . . all I want, right now, is to destroy Jenova. After that, you may do with me as you will . . . whatever punishment you deem fit for a monster like me can be no worse then the hell Jenova would put me through." He stood slowly, staggering as his not-fully healed body protested the effort. "I do not pretend to think you might help me . . . and I do not ask for it. Actually, I would rather that you just stayed out of my way. Just let me complete my mission . . . after that, nothing else matters to me, if I am even still alive at that point." He moved to leave the room, and his body betrayed him. Crashing to one knee, he swore as he saw the crimson slowly dripping to the floor below.

"Shit!" Cloud swore, rushing to his side. Vincent was a second behind him. Together, they managed to get Sephiroth back to his feet, forcing him slowly back to the bed.

"I think you've over done your macho man act for the day . . ." Cloud muttered as they maneuvered Sephiroth onto the bed. Sephiroth smiled grimly, but allowed them to get him back where they wanted him to be. His body just wasn't up to fighting them right at that moment. Cloud took one last look at him, before walking through the door. Vincent, however, remained. Sephiroth, aware of his presence, decided to take advantage of his moment alone with the enigmatic man . . . holding the knowledge he had learned about Vincent carefully in mind.

"You knew my mother well . . ." he murmured, his eyes closed as the pain from his wounds slowly receded, leaving him feeling drained. Because of this, he didn't see the flicker of pain that crossed Vincent's features before he replied.

"Yes . . . I loved her. But I wasn't strong enough to stop Hojo from his experiments and keep her safe . . . or you." Sephiroth snorted.

"Do not blame yourself for what happened to me. That was out of anyone's hands . . . even Hojo's, in the end. My fate was my own fault . . . the only other that can be held accountable for that is Jenova herself." Vincent shifted, surprised to hear this coming from his love's only son. "What happened to me . . . there is no explanation for it, no clear fault that can be laid at anyone's feet . . . except for Jenova. Hojo did what he did in the name of science, Mother did what she did out of duty, Shin-Ra used me for what they saw as the entire reason of my existence . . . the list goes on and on. But, in the end, it all comes down to Jenova playing us all as puppets. Jenova is the only one who can take full responsibility for what happened . . . and I intend to see that she pays that debt in full."

"Why do you say your fate was your fault? Were you not used by Jenova as well?" Vincent murmured, curious.

"Yes . . . but not the entire time. Nibelheim was completely my fault . . . I was insane, yes, but not under Jenova's influence . . . at least not fully at the time. Had I been stronger . . . had I been smarter . . . she would never have gained the hold on me that she did then, and I never would have gone on the rampage that I did." He lifted his hands, staring at them in agony before closing his eyes with a defeated sigh. "So much innocent blood on my hands . . . and for what? For a pack of lies that I was foolish enough to believe." Dropping his hands, he turned slightly to look at Vincent. "I can not blame them for hating me . . . when I hate myself."

"They don't hate you," Vincent murmured in reply, standing in the doorway. "They may have, once upon a time . . . but now all they are is confused. They are not sure what to think . . . neither am I, for that matter. You have changed, Sephiroth . . . and none of us are sure who you really are any more." He walked from the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Sephiroth stared up at the ceiling long after Vincent left the room, deep in thought. He could hear their voices in the next room, raising and lowering from time to time, but he didn't try to hear what they were saying. Nothing they decided would deter him from his chosen path . . . he would destroy Jenova.

"Well, creature . . . it seems you were wrong. They have not killed me yet . . . and from the sounds of it, they are not going to . . . not any time soon, at least."

You are more a fool then even I ever thought if you truly believe that. They just don't want to give you time to escape your fate before they kill you. And this time, there will be no coming back. Once you are dead, I will find another body to inhabit, another mind to manipulate . . .

"Changed your mind, have you? Where are you going to find another body, Jenova? Cloud and I are the only ones left with your cells in their veins . . . and his friends will be on guard for you trying that with him. You are stuck at a dead end, creature, scrabbling desperately at the walls of your prison for a way out."

Not completely, you stubborn boy. There are things even you don't know. The moment you let down your guard, I will have you in my control again. You can't continue to fight me forever . . . and I nearly had you last night. Had they not sedated you . . .

"Yes . . . that I am well aware of. If they had not sedated me, the pain that was clouding my mind would have allowed you to gain hold. You are telling me nothing I do not already realize, Jenova. You continue to take me for the weak minded fool you controlled . . . I am aware of you and your lies this time. You will not gain me as a pawn so easily again." Shutting her forcefully out of his thoughts, he reviewed the information he had learned from Hojo's files, looking for something . . . anything . . . that would give him the key he needed to destroying the vile creature. He was at a loss to find anything that he hadn't already known about her. She hated fire, and could be sorely wounded by it . . . Ice would trap her eternally, but do little to harm her . . . and water had no effect at all. That left lightening . . . but she was partially immune to it, so that was useless. Non-elemental materia hurt her badly . . . but provided no clear answer to destroying her. She could regenerate damage from all of that.

He sighed, shifting onto his side carefully, wincing as he pulled healing wounds slightly. The endless thinking was getting him no where . . . but it was all he could do. There had to be something . . . some key piece of information that he was missing . . . some half hidden bit of knowledge that would tell him what he needed to know.

It occurred to him that perhaps the only way to destroy Jenova would be for him to die himself . . . but that would leave Cloud wide open to an attack by the beast.

"You're trying to protect me from her?" Cloud asked quietly from the doorway. Belatedly, he realized he had spoken that lost thought aloud, and he grimaced. He hadn't wanted to pass on that bit of information. Sighing, he rolled over onto his back to face Cloud, his eyes shifting more blue as he replied.

"She needs someone with her cells in their body. There are only the two of us who fit that need . . . as long as I am alive, and she continues to think she has a chance of gaining a hold on me again . . . she will leave you alone," he murmured, his eyes fixed on the ceiling above. "I assume by your being here that my fate has been decided?" Cloud nodded, coming over to the bed to stare down at him, meeting Sephiroth's eyes with his own blue ones.

"Yes . . . we're going to help you kill her," he said clearly, watching as Sephiroth stared up at him in shock. "Look . . . you know you can't do it alone . . . after all, it took this entire group to do it the first time. We want to help you . . . all of us have different reasons, but in the end, it comes down to getting rid of her for ever. So, we're going to accompany you, and help you destroy her. After that . . . well, let's just see what happens first. We'll discuss the future when we know we all have one." Sephiroth nodded slowly, dazed. This was a completely unexpected turn of events, and he wasn't quite sure how to take it. Cloud saw his puzzlement, and grinned suddenly, before sobering to sit down in the chair next to his bed.

"It may not have been planned . . . but all of us came to regard 'Seth' as a friend and companion. Yes, it threw us for a bit of a loop when we discovered that YOU were Seth . . . but we've come to a decision on that. We may know who 'Seth' really is now . . . but you are still as much of a mystery to us as you've always been. We're willing to give you the chance . . . to get to know you as you . . . but I want to ask you some stuff, if you don't mind." Sephiroth sighed, but levered himself up carefully until he was sitting, facing Cloud.

"Ask away . . . I will answer as best I can." Cloud nodded and sat back in his chair, regarding Sephiroth thoughtfully.

"What really happened in Nibelheim?" he asked quietly. Sephiroth winced and took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he thought about how to answer. That one question could break everything that had developed so far . . . but he owed them the truth.

"Nibelheim . . . was me. Not Jenova." Cloud's eyes widened as Sephiroth admitted that. "I was . . . angry. At Hojo, at Shin-Ra . . . at every living thing on the planet that had what I never could. I know now that the files in the mansion were planted for me to read . . . but at the time, I believed every word of it. I . . . guess you could say I was not in my right mind . . . but I knew exactly what I was doing. I believed that it was justice . . . that they deserved to all die, to suffer as I had been forced to suffer. I have never forgiven myself for that . . . not since I learned the real truth . . . but that does not make what happened right . . . or forgivable." Cloud nodded thoughtfully, and sighed.

"Yeah . . . that's what we figured had happened . . . although I'll admit I held out some hope that Jenova had something to do with it."

"She did, but only a small part. She only pushed me along the path . . . but I am the one that chose my actions." He shook his head, reliving that day in his memories. "I regret all of it. I wish I could take it back . . . I wish that it had never happened at all. But there is nothing I can do to make up for it, except to make sure that it never ever happens again." He started in surprise as Cloud reached out to rest a hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Sephiroth . . . it's in the past now. There is no use to beating yourself up over it when there is nothing you can do . . . just hold true to your determination to never do it again. Now . . . how about you tell me how the hell you are still alive?" At that question, Sephiroth snorted, a slight smile crossing his lips.

"That question is easy to answer . . . you never killed me. You never even fought me in that final battle. It was all Jenova. She assumed my form - I was locked away in one of the ice caves you passed by on your way to meet her in the center of the crater. I suppose I was her back up plan . . . should she fall. She just never expected to find me with a mind of my own again."

"Well, it's nice to know she isn't omniscient," Cloud murmured. Sephiroth chuckled slightly at that.

"Far from it. She is quite full of herself, actually . . . not unlike certain other people used to be." He smiled in self-mockery as Cloud chuckled.

"No kidding." Sephiroth looked up at him, a mock-scowl on his face, but Cloud refused to back down. "Well, you really were one arrogant bastard . . . even before Nibelheim." Sephiroth shrugged, and had to admit Cloud was right. He'd had his reasons, but that didn't change the facts. "Well . . . I'd best get out of here and leave you to rest . . . either that, or Teef will have my ass in a sling. We'll be on the move as soon as your able . . . so I suggest you heal quickly." Cloud stood slowly, and walked to the door. "Oh . . . and Sephiroth? Welcome to life . . . real life."


	5. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters from FFVII, more's the pity. But, Seph is my muse, so there!

  
  


AN - Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I noticed many of you had comments about the way I have Sephiroth written, and the way AVALANCHE seemed to forgive him so easily. My review responses on the previous page cleared those up, I hope. If not, feel free to send me a personal email, and I will respond that way too : ) Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and continue to review : )

  
  
  
  


Chapter 5 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

  
  


Sephiroth sat at his computer console, tapping out commands to call up information from Hojo's files methodically, blue/green eyes narrowed in thought. After being forced to stay in bed by a very aggressive and protective Tifa, he'd finally managed to make his way down to his room. He could hear Tifa upstairs, raging ineffectively at his locked door that he wasn't supposed to be up yet, but he ignored her, although a slight smile curved his lips at some of the choice phrasing that she was using. That woman could pack a lot of punch . . . even into her words. His smile blossomed into a full grin as he heard Cloud enter the bar and Tifa turned on him, shouting out how difficult Sephiroth was being and how she was gonna strangle a certain former general if she got her hands on him. He heard Cloud reply, although he couldn't make out the words . . . he was pretty sure it was along the lines of telling Tifa to calm down, because Tifa fell silent.

Snorting softly at his turn of thought, he returned his attention back to the computer screen before him, still searching for that elusive bit of information he needed. He thought he was on to something . . . now if he could just find the original report of when Jenova had first been discovered . . . there it was. He called up the file and read over it carefully, noting certain points of it on a notepad by his hand.

"Hey Seph . . . would you mind coming up here before Tifa tears the bar apart trying to see if you are still conscious?" Cloud called through the door. Behind him, Tifa stood, silently fuming, Vincent silently holding her from bodily attacking the door again.

"That stupid . . . arrogant . . . JACKASS!" she exploded. "How could he lock the damn door . . . he's still not healed fully . . . he could be unconscious, bleeding . . ."

"I am fine, Tifa," Sephiroth murmured, stepping through the door and closing it behind him. "I wanted to get back into looking at Hojo's files for some information . . . the sooner this is over with, the better all of you will be." Tifa was at his side in an instant, checking his bandages carefully for any sign that he had reopened the wounds. Sephiroth glanced at Cloud, quirking an eyebrow in question. Cloud simply rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"I don't care what the hell you were doing . . . I told you to stay in that damn bed, and you are going to stay there, even if I have to strap you in to it!" Tifa sighed, and looked up at him. "Sephiroth . . . please." 

"Very well. I will stay in the bed . . . but only for one more day, Tifa. We lose valuable time with this 'mothering' you insist on." Cloud winced, knowing he was in for it now.

"If you call caring that someone I count as a FRIEND is HURT a loss of valuable time, you have a LOT to learn about being human, you arrogant prick!" Tifa stopped as Sephiroth dropped his gaze, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.

"Yes . . . I do have a lot to learn about being something I am not," he whispered. "I am neither a friend, nor a human." Shrugging out of her reach, he returned to his sick room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Oh no . . . I didn't mean that," she murmured, staring after him. She started forward, only to be stopped by Vincent's claw on her shoulder.

"Leave him be, Tifa. You've reminded him of something painful and I do not think he will appreciate your company right now. I know how he feels . . . once upon a time I felt that I was no longer human, but something else altogether. He has many scars that need to heal . . . emotional ones that Hojo and Shin-Ra caused with their experiments and their genetic tampering." Cloud stepped to her side, his gaze also locked on the door.

"Vincent is right, Tifa. Just leave him be . . . he needs time to come to terms with a life he's never had before." Tifa nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She hadn't meant that the way it came out . . . the new Sephiroth they had all come to know was as human as they were, no matter what his genetic makeup was. And he WAS their friend . . . even if he had been the enemy once. Sighing, she turned to go into the kitchen, dashing away tears with the back of her hand. Vincent and Cloud looked after her, then turned to each other.

"Vincent . . ." Cloud began quietly, mindful of the two people within hearing distance, "how do we help him come to terms with something we don't even begin to understand? You are the only one who has even a remote idea of what he's going through . . . and even your experience pales in comparison to what was done to him. What are we supposed to do?" Vincent shrugged, his crimson eyes dark as he met Cloud's blue gaze.

"He's the only one that can really do anything about it, Cloud. All any of us can do . . . is show him that he is not alone anymore . . . that he finally has friends." Vincent glanced at the door, then continued thoughtfully. "I may, however, have something that will help him . . . I found it the other day."

"What is it?" Cloud asked, curious.

"Lucrecia's journal . . . the one she kept during her pregnancy." Vincent sighed. "I was hoping to show it to him one day when he'd begun his own life . . . but I think now would be a better time."

"Where the hell did you find that?!"

"It was in the storage vault that I finally managed to open the other day . . . it seems they placed all her personal effects in there after she died." He shifted slightly, pulling the bound leather book from inside his cloak. "I only hope it will help . . . it could very well send him further into his darkness."

"That's a chance we'll have to take, Vincent."

  
  


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Sephiroth stepped outside the bar silently, pulling his hood up over his head, hiding his hair from sight. Shouldering his pack, he stepped into the middle of the street, stopping to take a last glance back at Seventh Heaven. His home . . . his haven . . . his friends. He snorted, shaking the sentimental thoughts from his head and drawing the cold mask over his features once again, sealing away his feelings to savor later as precious memories he would forever carry in his heart. Determined, he left Midgar, carrying in his head the information he needed to complete his final mission . . . the mission that would, in the end, hopefully grant him peace . . . in death.

"I am coming for you Jenova . . . this time, it ends forever. No more resurrections."

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


"He's gone," Vincent said, entering the bar with his usual gloomy air.

"Whadda ya mean, he's gone!?" Barrett roared, standing suddenly.

"He's gone?! Gone where?" Tifa asked. The others echoed her question. In answer, Vincent held out a single sheet of paper to Cloud, who read it, and sighed, nodding as he sat back in his chair.

"Why am I not surprised that he would do this?" Cloud muttered, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

"DO WHAT?" Tifa asked urgently. "What has he done!?"

"Calm down, Teef. It won't do any good to get hyped up about it at the moment." He stood slowly, and glanced at all of them. "Sephiroth has left us, gone to hunt Jenova down . . . on his own." Tifa snatched the letter out of his hands, her eyes skimming the words carefully. Tears fell down her cheeks unchecked as the words tore at her heart. 

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To the members of AVALANCHE :

  
  


It is time that I moved on . . . time that I took the final steps towards completing this mission and ending the threat that hovers over this entire planet once and for all. I had never intended to involve any of you in this mission . . . and I still do not. I will go on as I originally intended - alone, as is my fate.

I could not leave, however, without at least a word of thanks, to all of you. You have shown me much, and taught me much as well, about what life could have been like had I not been what I am. For that, I am eternally grateful to all of you . . . and therefore, I hope you can forgive me this final wish to protect you, who have accepted me, and all my horrifying past.

I say final wish, for this is will be the last you will see or hear of me. Even should I survive the encounter with Jenova, I will simply disappear.

Do not mourn for me. I have no need of your pity, and indeed, I do not deserve it. I am, and always will be, a monster that science created. Be safe, and prosper . . . my friends.

To Cloud : Be on your guard always, Strife. If I should fail . . . she will come for you. Be mindful always . . . she will talk to you sweetly at first, sounding like the voice of your conscience, like a part of you. That is how she will draw you in to accepting her . . . do not be fooled. I will protect you as long as I can, keeping her greater power trapped within my mind . . . but if it does not work, my task must, by necessity, fall to you. Be careful, for she is cunning and powerful.

To Vincent : There is information you will find on the files I downloaded that I think you will find most interesting. I know that I did . . . I also know that it shocked me to the core. I, like you, was made into a hellish creature . . . but unlike you, there can be no redemption for me. While you remain human in all the essentials, that is something I never was, and never could be. I have always known that, and no matter how hard I deny it, that fact remains. Thank you . . . for both what you tried to do, and for what you accomplished. My mother must have cared for you deeply . . . to protect you as she did by keeping the truth from you.

  
  


In Parting,

Seth Masamune

Sephiroth

  
  


*******************************************************************************************

  
  


"Oh, Sephiroth . . ." Tifa murmured, wiping away her tears. "You guys . . . we have to go after him."

"Don't worry, Tifa. We will . . . we just need to figure out where he is going," Cloud replied. He glanced around at the assembled members of AVALANCHE, meeting each gaze with his own. "This isn't an official mission for AVALANCHE . . . so anyone who does not wish to go doesn't have to. Cid can take any of you back in the Highwind before we leave."

"Cloud, man . . . I don't think any of us are leavin'. Jenova's still out dere . . . she remains a threat to the Planet, which is why AVALANCHE was formed. As for Sephiroth . . . well, hell. The man may have been an enemy at one time . . . but I think all of us realize now that he's not the same person. This Sephiroth is our friend . . . and ain't a one of us that is gonna leave a friend to face Jenova alone. So, stop yappin' and get packin'," Barrett said firmly. Cloud nodded, and smiled slightly.

"Well, we can't leave right away . . . we still need to find out where he is going. Vincent . . . you're the computer wiz. See what you can come up with on his computer, would ya?" Vincent nodded, and in a whirl of crimson and black, disappeared down into the basement to attach himself to Sephiroth's console. The other's scattered to their individual living quarters to gather supplies.

Finally, only Tifa remained, staring down at the letter in her hand with determination. She kept reading it over and over, wondering silently what had made him take this course of action. Cloud approached her slowly, resting a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"We'll find him Tifa," he murmured. She spun suddenly, burying her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist as she sobbed.

"This is all my fault, Cloud! If I hadn't made that comment about him needing to learn about being human . . ." Cloud ran a gentle hand over her back in soothing circles, trying to calm her.

"Tifa . . . I think he's been planning on doing this for a while now. You saw what he wrote . . . he never intended for us to even know he was still alive. He's still so new at this whole friendship thing . . . of course he would want to protect us in any way he could . . . even if it meant going to face his own death. He still feels he needs to pay for his sins . . . even if most of them weren't his to begin with." He shifted to stare down into her face, his own set in serious lines. "We'll bring him back Tifa . . . and then we'll continue to teach him what real life is like. I promise you." Tifa nodded, wiping her tears away before resting her head gently against him. He sighed, hugging her tightly, his face determined.

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


Hours passed slowly as everyone completed their preparations for the journey ahead. Cloud, growing anxious, decided to head downstairs to see if Vincent had come up with any clues on where their enigmatic friend was heading.

Coming down the stairs, he froze at the sight of Vincent, his head in his hands, sitting silently in front of the blank computer screen.

"Vincent? What's wrong? Didn't find anything?" Vincent laughed, a horrible mocking sound that sent shivers down his spine.

"Oh . . . I found something . . . too much, I think," he murmured. "I found out that Hojo was not Sephiroth's father." Cloud looked at him in shock.

"Then . . . then who was?" Cloud asked quietly, unsure if he really wanted to know. Vincent's next reply confirmed that feeling.

"Me."

"Vincent . . . I . . ." his voice trailed off. He was unsure of what to say . . . of what he COULD say in a situation like this.

"Lucrecia . . . she kept it from all of us . . . to keep Hojo from lashing out in jealous rage." He took a deep breath, looking up at Cloud finally, his eyes haunted. "Sephiroth . . . is my son." He stood abruptly in agitation. Cloud looked on silently, unsure of how to handle this unusually emotional Vincent, so different from the calm, collected man he thought he knew. "Great Planet, Cloud . . . if I had known . . . to think of what he went through . . . I could have stopped it."

"Vincent . . . if no one knew but Lucrecia . . . you couldn't have done anything. Even if you had known, there was nothing you could do. Sephiroth was Shin-Ra's most prized experiment . . . do you honestly think they would have let him go without a fight? You would have died . . . and then Lucrecia would never have been avenged. The only thing you can do for him . . . for your son . . . is help him live a better life then he's had until now. But first we have to find him . . . do you have any idea where he's gone?" Vincent nodded, taking another deep breath to center himself and calm his raging emotions.

"He's going . . . to Nibelheim. Where it all started."

  
  


To Be Continued

  
  


AN - don't forget to review ; )


	6. Unexpected Meetings

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters from FFVII . . . but Seph is my muse : )

  
  


Author's Notes - I'm so glad that many of you are enjoying my story. Many of you have asked good questions, and I do my best to answer them. This chapter should be entertaining, and informative. Enjoy, and please review.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 6 - Unexpected Meetings

Sephiroth watched the black blood flow down the blade of the Masamune, listening keenly to the silence around him for any sign of further predators. Hearing nothing, he dismissed the blade, retrieving his pack absently as he contemplated which route to take to Nibelheim. It felt like ages ago since he had taken this road . . . even though, in reality, it had only been about six or seven years. Sighing, he began to move forward, pushing his hair back from his eyes with one gloved hand as he scanned the land before him.

He'd left Midgar nearly a week ago now, traveling at as fast a pace as he could push himself. Mentally he was exhausted, his energy drained from keeping up a barrier that would shield his intentions from Jenova. He knew it was necessary however . . . the creature would move if she found out he knew where she was, and then he might never get a chance at her. Absently, he wondered if Vincent had found the information he had left on the computer for him. 

"How did he react, I wonder . . . learning that he was the father of a monster?" Sephiroth murmured. "I am sure he was probably disgusted with the idea . . . I can not say that I blame him. Who, other than someone insane like Hojo, would want to admit that their son was an inhuman murderer who tried to destroy the world?" He shook his head, turning his attention away from such unnecessary thoughts back to the more immediate concerns. He was still formulating his plan to destroy Jenova . . . that was what he needed to concentrate on now, not the fact that he actually had a father who was not an insane scientist with delusions of grandeur.

Increasing his pace, Sephiroth lost himself in his plans, letting his feet guide him towards his only remaining goal.

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


"We have to be catching up . . . we know he's on foot, and we've got Chocobos," Cloud muttered for the second time in as many minutes.

"Spike, give it a rest. We didn't leave until a few days after he was gone . . . and you know that man can move fast when he needs to. We'll probably catch sight of him tomorrow . . . and then we can tie him onto a Chocobo and make sure he doesn't try to ditch us again." Even Cloud had to grin wryly at that image. The likeliness of them being able to tie Sephiroth to a Chocobo, and keep him there, if he chose to not be there, wasn't even remote, but the image served it's purpose, cheering the group considerably.

"Alright . . . we'll stop and make camp for the night. No sense trying to catch up to him dead tired." Cloud dismounted carefully, his muscles stiff. "You know, I think it's been way too long since we rode a Chocobo," he muttered to Tifa. Tifa giggled as she slid off the bird they had been sharing. The bird warked cheerfully, settling down for a rest, tucking it's head under it's wing. Cloud looked down at it, shaking his head in amusement. "Wish I could go to sleep that fast."

Tifa patted him comfortingly on the back, and turned to the rest of the group, who had already dismounted, many with sigh's of relief, and begun to set up camp. Only Vincent remained motionless, staring off towards the direction Sephiroth had taken.

"Vincent?" she asked quietly, going to stand next to him. He glanced down at her, then returned to his observation of the land ahead.

"I still can't believe it. It seems like it's been in front of me the whole time . . . the way he moves, the way he is built . . . he doesn't have a single bit of Hojo in him . . . so why didn't I see it before, Tifa?" Vincent murmured.

"We all believed Hojo, Vincent. Even Sephiroth thought Hojo was his father . . . Lucrecia was protecting all of you, in the only way she could think of." She lay a hand comfortingly on his arm, squeezing slightly until she had his attention. "It's not going to do you any good to dwell on it Vincent. We'll find him soon enough, and then we'll destroy Jenova, and the two of you will have all the time in the world." Vincent sighed and nodded.

"As usual, Tifa, you are right. There is nothing I can do about any of it right this moment, so I should not dwell on it." Turning, he silently returned to the others, Tifa watching him for a moment before turning to gaze out at the land herself.

"You're out there somewhere, Seph," she whispered. "Please, be all right."

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


Awake, my sleeping one. It is time.

"Time, master?"

For you to hunt down the traitor to our blood. My son . . . my puppet. Sephiroth.

"Yes . . . master."

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


He came awake suddenly, his senses alerted to a presence nearby that felt both familiar and strange at the same time. He stood slowly, his eyes scanning his campsite carefully, the Masamune materializing into his hand, held at ready. There was nothing out of place . . . the fire still burned, his pack remained where he had placed it. After several moments of quiet, he relaxed his stance, lowering his blade until the tip rested lightly on the ground.

"I must be getting paranoid," he muttered, a hand running through his platinum hair in annoyance. "This is ridiculous."

"I would say your instincts were right on the mark, old friend." Sephiroth spun to face the voice, sword held at ready as a figure stepped into the ring of firelight from behind him. The Masamune fell from suddenly numb fingers, clattering to the rocky soil and disappearing from sight.

"Zack," Sephiroth whispered, his voice hoarse as he forced it past a throat suddenly gone tight. Zack . . . his best friend, his only friend at one point in his life . . . the very friend who he had unfeelingly cut down in Nibelheim years ago in his rage. He pushed those feelings aside brutally, blinking rapidly to clear the fog from his vision. "You can not be Zack. Zack died years ago, in Nibelheim."

"Yes, I did . . . by your blade. My supposed friend," the figure spat out. "You monster. You never even told me what you were . . . what you are! And then you left me in death . . . left me for Hojo to find and experiment on. Now, because of you, I'm back . . . and I only have one purpose. Revenge."

"If you are Zack . . . then you know I had no memory of my past. I could not have told you, even had I wanted to."

"You chose not to remember. You LIED to me. You were never my friend . . . and now you are the enemy. You've always been the enemy." Sephiroth shook his head, his eyes flashing into green as his anger rose. 

"No. I was never your enemy Zack. We were friends. I was not in my right mind when I attacked you. I would never have intentionally hurt you if I had been sane."

"No more lies, Sephiroth. NO MORE!" Zack tackled him suddenly. Sephiroth struggled, but he found that he could not hurt his friend. Zack was much stronger then he had ever been . . . which made Sephiroth wonder, subconsciously, just what Hojo had done to him. He stared up into Zack's face, the feral snarl marring his former friends features looking oddly familiar. The horrible realization came that it looked so familiar, because he had seen then same expression on his face, reflected back at him from a mirror of clear ice in the Northern Cavern nearly a year ago. His rage building . . . a rage directed at Hojo for turning his friend into what he had been . . . surged to the forefront of his thoughts. Sephiroth used that rage to fuel his muscles, shoving Zack off and away from him as he scrambled to his feet.

"I never lied to you Zack . . . but you are Zack no longer. Whatever Hojo has done to you . . . he has taken yourself away from you. You are not the person I knew." He summoned the Masamune again, the blade settling into his hand with a familiarity he no longer felt towards the man in front of him. "I am sorry, my friend . . . but it is best that I do for you what Cloud thought he had done for me a year ago. It is time I put you at rest." Zack laughed, a cold, mocking sound that Sephiroth was accustomed to hearing from his own throat.

"Not yet, old friend . . . not just yet. I will be back for you . . . but my master calls to me. I will have my revenge, Sephiroth . . . but only when I see fit to take it. First, I want you to suffer . . . suffer with the thought that what I am now is all . . . your . . . fault." Laughing, he stepped into the shadows, disappearing from Sephiroth's sight as quickly as he had come.

After the man had departed, Sephiroth fell to his knees, his head cradled in his hands, those last words echoing in his head. All his fault . . . it was all his fault. He had left his best friend to die . . . and instead Hojo had tried to recreate in him what he had failed to do in Sephiroth . . . create the perfect, controllable, super soldier.

Staring into the dying flames of the flickering fire, Sephiroth could only whisper to it desperately, trying to reach out to the man who had once been his friend.

"Zack . . . I am sorry . . ."

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


"There he is!" Reeve shouted back to his companions, pointing ahead to a small campfire that could be seen in the dawning light. They could just make out the figure of a man sitting, hunched over the flames, his head buried in his hands. Spurring their Chocobos forward, they raced to the camp, dismounting hurriedly as they arrived.

Sephiroth did not even look up at their approach, still lost in the agony of the reappearance of his former friend. He gazed into the fire, uncaring of the people who invaded his camp. 'Zack . . .' he thought in anguish. 'Hojo . . . how could you? Was I not enough?' A gentle hand on his arm attracted his attention, and he raised his head slowly to meet Tifa's concerned gaze.

"Sephiroth . . . what is it? What's wrong?"

"Zack . . ." he murmured. "Zack . . . is still alive." Cloud gasped, and dropped to his knees beside him.

"Sephiroth . . . what do you mean, Zack is still alive? He can't be . . . he died outside of Midgar!" Sephiroth shook his head, his agony showing clearly in his eyes.

"No . . . Hojo . . . Hojo brought him back . . . and turned him into a monster . . . it was Zack . . . but not. Zack . . . my friend . . ." He slumped forward, his agony and horror finally overwhelming him as he lost consciousness. He had taken too many shocks to his system, too many surprises in a matter of days. Cloud caught him, shivering himself as he thought about what Sephiroth had said..

"It's . . . it's not possible," he whispered.

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


Cloud spoke quietly, trying to keep his voice low so as not to wake the sleeping man at his back. He stared into the fire, his blue eyes glowing with long buried memories . . . memories he would rather have left buried. Instead, now he was dragging them back into the light . . . airing them in order to give the others some idea of why Sephiroth had reacted the way he had.

"Zack . . . was Sephiroth's lieutenant . . . and the only man to ever consider him a friend. They worked well together . . . as a team they were unstoppable. You all heard what happened in Nibelheim . . . what really happened, that is. I know Tifa told you of the discoveries we made during my time in the Lifestream. The memories I thought were my own were really Zack's. He . . . he died as we got to Midgar after escaping from Hojo . . . held off the Shin-Ra troops so that I could get away." Cloud shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't understand how he could still be alive . . ."

"Hojo did some horrible things in his time . . ." Vincent murmured. "He may very well have brought Zack back to life in some way. It would not be the first time he denied Death a victim." He glanced at Sephiroth as he said this, his crimson eyes darkening.

"We know, Vincent," Tifa murmured, her eyes also resting on Sephiroth. He had looked so lost . . . she hadn't seen him look so unbalanced, ever. Even when he'd lost his sanity in Nibelheim, he hadn't looked lost . . . he'd looked angry. Now . . . what new demons had returned to torment the man? Had he really seen Zack? And what could it mean if he had? She glanced around at the others, noting they all seemed lost in thought. She couldn't blame them . . . she was wondering the same thing. What new monster were they up against?

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


"I don't understand why you would not just let me kill him and be done with it, master. He is weak . . . my slight attack on him showed that. Why does he have to live?"

As I told you . . . this will hurt him far more then simply killing him would. I wish for him to suffer for his betrayal. Don't you dare go against my orders, child. You will do as I say in this matter. It is more . . . satisfying, this way.

"I will obey you, master."

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  
  
  


Sephiroth came back to consciousness slowly, disoriented. He could hear voices . . . but hadn't he left the members of AVALANCHE back in Midgar? Confused, he opened his eyes slowly, turning his head to look at the figures around the campfire. So . . . they had come after him. Why? He sat up slowly, shaking his head to dispel the last of the fog clouding his mind.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. He hadn't realized someone was so close to him. He turned, looking over his shoulder to see who was so close. Blue/green met crimson, and Sephiroth sighed, closing his eyes again as he turned away.

"We need to talk," Vincent murmured gently, gripping Sephiroth's shoulder slightly. "We have much to discuss." Sephiroth nodded wordlessly, rising to his feet gracefully, and turning to face the man he now knew was his biological father. Together, they walked away from the group, approaching a nearby out cropping of rocks. Vincent perched absently on one, Sephiroth leaning up against it in the shadows.

"Sephiroth . . ." Vincent began, then paused, unsure suddenly of how to proceed. "How long . . . how long have you known . . . that it was me, and not Hojo?"

"Two months," Sephiroth replied. "I found the entry hidden in one of my mother's reports . . . a rough copy that accidentally got saved to file." He sighed, shifting uncomfortably, his platinum hair falling forward to hide his face from Vincent's sight.

"Why . . . why didn't you tell me?" Sephiroth snorted, standing up and turning to face Vincent, his arms held out wide in presentation of himself.

"Why would I? No monster, no matter how inhuman, wants to see the disgust and horror on their own parent's face." Vincent jumped down to stand before him, studying him intently before stepping forward, gripping Sephiroth's face, forcing him to meet crimson eyes.

"You are no more of a monster then I am, Sephiroth," he stated firmly. Sephiroth yanked his head away, stepping back and walking a few steps away before turning to face Vincent again.

"How could I not be a monster? I have killed thousands of innocents . . . not all of them by Shin-Ra's orders. I am not even human . . . just some hybrid lab experiment a demented scientist created out of what could have been a human boy. I do not age . . . physically, at any rate . . . I heal faster, move faster, fight faster . . . what more proof is needed? Hell . . . I even slaughtered people close to me . . . people who were supposed to be my friends!" He broke suddenly, his anger washing away in the flood of darkness that threatened to overwhelm him again. His shoulders slumped, platinum hair falling forward to hide his weakness as he fell silent, regaining control of himself.

Vincent regarded him silently for a few moments, allowing him to gather himself. When he did speak again, it was more to himself then to anyone else, even though he directed his words to Sephiroth.

"Your mother . . . loved you, Sephiroth. Even though she never got to hold you . . . never even got to see you once you were born . . . she still loved you. She had such hopes for you . . . hopes for a future that would be bright and glorious. She didn't know what Hojo was going to do with you once you were born . . . maybe if she had, she would have stopped it before it could have happened. Sephiroth . . . you are your mother's son . . . not Hojo's experiment, not Shin-Ra's great general. You are a man now . . . a man who can finally choose his own path, make his own destiny . . . what your mother wanted for you all along. You may have been a monster once . . . but no longer." Silently he removed a book from his inner cloak, holding it out to his son gently. "This . . . this is your mother's journal . . . that she kept while she was pregnant with you. I think . . . that you should read it." Sephiroth reached out hesitantly, his fingers hesitating over the bound journal as if he feared to touch it. Finally, he took it from Vincent's hand, staring down at it speculatively.

"My mother's journal . . ." he whispered. Vincent nodded. He fought the urge to step forward and embrace the man before him, knowing that they had a long road to walk before they were truly father and son, if they ever would be. It still amazed him to think of it . . . but it also explained many mysteries to him. Why Lucrecia had asked Vincent to watch over Sephiroth . . . and why she had seemed so sad as she did so. It also explained the strange empathy he'd always had with the enigmatic man . . . a tie that he had been unable to explain, even to Cloud when he'd asked.

"Sephiroth . . ." he said finally, breaking the silence. "I just want you to know that . . . I'm sorry. For not being able to be there for you. If I had known . . . even if I had only suspected . . . I would have stopped at nothing to get you away from Hojo." Sephiroth looked up at him, startled, but strangely calm. In an act that surprised both himself and Vincent, he stepped forward, resting a hand on Vincent's shoulder, blue eyes meeting crimson in a sudden moment of understanding.

"Even if you had known . . . there was nothing you could have done," he murmured. "I was too far gone, even in my youngest days . . . Jenova spoke to me even then. Nothing would have changed . . . I still would have eventually found out my origins as Hojo wanted, and fallen under Jenova's influence. That could not be stopped. None of what happened is your fault . . . father." They stood that way for a long time, a father and a son discovering each other for the first time.

Tifa watched them talk from the campfire, and smiled softly to herself as she saw Sephiroth rest his hand on Vincent's shoulder. Cloud nudged her gently, bringing her attention back to him, his eyes also fixed on father and son.

"Funny, isn't it?" he whispered, his blue eyes watching them intently. "They've both lost so much . . . it's like they've been echoes of each other all along." Tifa nodded, turning to stare into the fire.

"Yes . . . but I think they can really help each other, now that they know. Sephiroth is the son of Vincent's only love . . . and now, Vincent knows he is HIS son as well. As for Sephiroth . . . now he has a father . . . a real father, not that freak Hojo. Maybe . . . maybe with Vincent's help, he can start to understand life. And he can help Vincent rejoin life, instead of standing in the shadows all the time." She sighed. "I just hope we can defeat Jenova."

"Yes . . . that is a problem. We still don't know if Sephiroth found a way to defeat her . . . to destroy her." He shoved a hand through his hair, then straightened. "They're coming back."

The two men settled down at the fire, sitting near each other in silence, each lost in thought. Cloud was slightly amused to see the others staring at them, each member suddenly discovering the similarities between the two. The biggest difference was the hair color . . . and they could all easily just picture Sephiroth as Seth to fix that.

"Ya know . . . the two of ya's coulda been twins," Barrett muttered. Sephiroth turned to stare at him, his unblinking gaze making Barrett nervous for a second, before he smiled. Cloud wasn't quite sure which was scarier . . . Sephiroth glaring at a person with those glowing eyes of his, or Sephiroth smiling at said person.

The next surprise came in the form of Vincent . . . laughing. It was more of a chuckle, but it was more than they usually ever got out of the man. Sephiroth turned to look at Vincent, who shrugged at him.

"Well . . . he does have a point, Sephiroth. It's pretty obvious where your looks came from." Sephiroth just shook his head, obviously conceding the point. 

"Oh, for Planet's sake . . . enough you two," Tifa said, grinning. "I think you've both managed to startle and surprise us enough for one day. We need to get back to the serious stuff." She shot an apologetic glance at Sephiroth, who's grin faded as he realized what she meant.

"You mean Zack . . ." he murmured.

"Yes . . . I'm sorry, but we really do need to know what happened. You weren't exactly coherent when we found you." Sephiroth shrugged, raking a hand through his hair as he stared into the fire.

"You are right, Tifa.. I do not understand it, but it was definitely him. It appears that Hojo attempted to recreate the experiment that created me . . . using a full grown human body, instead of an unborn child."

"What did he want?" Cloud asked. He was having almost as difficult a time as Sephiroth was with it. Zack had been a friend of his as well . . . if Zack had been brought back to life by Hojo, he wasn't sure how he should react.

"To taunt me. He said he wanted me to suffer . . . to suffer the knowledge that he was alive, and that it was my fault . . . before he kills me." He leaned back slightly to gaze up at the sky overhead. "But I wonder . . . if Jenova might have something to do with it. If so . . . then she knows I am coming for her."

"Is it wise, then, to go to Nibelheim?" Reeve asked quietly.

"I do not know . . . if she knows I am on my way there . . . then she may very well have lay a trap for me. But I do not know where else to go." Sephiroth sighed, and leaned forward again, his arms resting on his knees. "What I do not understand . . . is why you all came after me. This is my fight . . ." A cold nose shoved into the back of his neck had him sitting upright in shock. The others chuckled as Nanaki trotted back around to face him.

"The fight against Jenova is one all of us have reason to participate in. She is a danger not only to us, but to the Planet as a whole. We have named ourselves the protectors of this planet . . . and we have named ourselves your friends, if you will accept us. We cannot allow you to go into this battle alone, no matter what you may think," Nanaki said firmly, settling down in front of Sephiroth, his back against the man's knees. "If you choose to look at it another way . . . one less pleasant, but no less serious . . . should you face her alone, and fail, we may very well end up with an even deadlier enemy on our hands - You, under her control once again. None of us wish to see that come about . . . we have lived through that once, and that is enough."

"I think what Nanaki is trying to say . . . even if it is rather cryptic . . . is that you are stuck with us. You have a second chance at life Sephiroth . . . we'd rather not see you waste it by falling into her trap again," Cloud said, his arm tightly around Tifa. Sephiroth looked at him, and nodded in sudden understanding.

"It is not cryptic . . . if it is the truth. You are right . . . I succumbed to her once - should I let my guard down for even a second, she will have me again. That is a chance none of us can take. I had thought of that, but . . ." his voice trailed off as he looked around at them. "I did not want to endanger any of you," he whispered finally.

"Sephiroth . . . it is more of a danger to us should you fall to her then if we are with you going into the battle," Vincent said quietly.

"Yeah . . . I mean, damn man . . . we managed to face her and defeat that bitch once before. I'll be fucked if we can't do it again." Cid lit up another cigarette hurriedly, gesturing with his hands as he puffed at it. "That bitch is going down for good this time . . . we've got you this time, don't we? This time it should be a fucking piece of cake." Cid nearly started in shock when Sephiroth reached through the fire, grabbed the burning cigarette out of his mouth, and brought it to his own. He inhaled on it slowly, and coughed.

"I was wondering what the hell you found in these things," he murmured. "I think . . . I am still wondering. They taste like crap." He turned to the others, finding them all staring at him in shock. "What?" he asked irritably.

"Sephiroth . . . you just reached through the campfire like it was nothing!" Tifa gasped. He looked at her, puzzled.

"Was it supposed to do something?" he asked calmly, much as if he was asking about the weather. Cloud suddenly grinned.

"You're immune to fire, aren't you?" Sephiroth looked at him, one eyebrow quirking up in question.

"Fire does not hurt me . . ." he murmured in reply. Cloud actually sat back and laughed.

"Most people would have been burned, Sephiroth. That little demonstration just now explains something I've been wondering about for a while. But it's no matter . . . it's good to know." Sephiroth shrugged, and took another puff off the cigarette he stole from Cid. Cid just grinned, and lit another one.

"Well . . . do we continue on to Nibelheim, or try to find out where she might have gone to?" Reeve asked.

"I think . . . perhaps we should continue on to Nibelheim. Even if she is no longer there, perhaps she has left clues to where she has gone. As for any traps she may have left . . . she expects you to be alone. She won't be expecting any of us," Vincent said. The others nodded in agreement.

Sephiroth sighed, but did not try to dissuade them. A sense of foreboding filled him . . . he knew that something would be waiting for them in Nibelheim. Of what it would be, he had no idea . . . he just hoped that the others would come through it unscathed. He was sure that he would . . . he did not think Jenova wanted him dead . . . not just yet, at any rate.

  
  


To Be Continued


	7. Visiing the Past or a Trap?

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters from FFVII . . . I can wish though, right?

  
  


Author's Notes - Okay . . . a lot of people didn't like the whole Seph smoking thing. Personally, I just threw it in there as a way to show just how much he DIDN'T experience during his past life before he went nuts. He is learning still, after all. I don't intend for him to pick up smoking or anything of that nature, trust me.

And now, on with the story.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 7 - Visiting the Past or a Trap?

  
  


They stopped outside of Nibelheim, on a cliff overlooking the small town. Cloud and Tifa stared down at it in silence, their eyes vague as they remembered their childhood. Sephiroth refused to look, staying as far from the cliff edge as he could, once again masking his hair color with the dye he had used as Seth. He was not looking forward to walking into a town he had once destroyed in rage . . . once again confronting a past deed that he wished with all his being he could erase. 

Vincent watched his son reapply the hair dye in silence, suspecting what it was that was going through Sephiroth's mind. He could only offer his silent support, knowing that this above all else would be most painful to the proud warrior . . . to be confronted with the very town his most horrendous crime had been committed in. At last, Sephiroth rose, his eyes once again violet, his hair falling in a black curtain down his back. He glanced at Vincent, but said nothing, only shrugging his pack over his shoulder, his stance stiff and unnatural.

Not speaking a word, he began the descent into Nibelheim, Vincent and the others falling in behind him quietly. Finally, only Cloud and Tifa remained on the cliff face.

"This will be hard on him," Tifa murmured, watching 'Seth' walk slowly down the path towards the town below. She could already see his shoulders hunched, as if awaiting a harsh blow. "Couldn't we just leave him here and go into town ourselves?"

"No Tifa. He's the only one who has any idea of what to look for . . . besides which, you know he would not stay here, even if we offered it to him. He sees this as his penance . . . his punishment for his crimes. He has to face it sometime Tifa . . . at least this way, we are here to help . . . if we even can." Turning, he shouldered his own pack and handed her the one she had been carrying. Together, they followed their companions towards town, wondering what fate had in store for them now.

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


The group moved through town easily, the inhabitants of the town casting only the occasional glance in their direction. Sephiroth kept his eyes on the ground, refusing to look anywhere but where his feet were taking him. He knew if he looked up, he would see the town as it had been before he burned it . . . Shin-Ra had rebuilt it almost exactly. He moved easily for the inn, wishing they could be in and out of the town quickly . . . but they had arrived nearly at dusk, and had determined that it would be best to stay overnight in town before heading for the reactor. Sephiroth had said nothing for or against the plan . . . he knew they would need a full day of sunlight to get to the reactor, and a good night's rest.

He could feel his companions concern for him . . . with good reason. This town reminded him too much of the things he had done. Here, in this place, was where the true horror had begun . . . where the true tainting of his soul had occurred. They reached the inn quickly, mainly due to the pace Sephiroth set. Procuring rooms was easily done, and he retreated to his room as fast as was possible, collapsing onto the bed with a relieved sigh. Vincent and Nanaki would be sharing the room with him later on . . . at the moment, the group was going back out to fill up their supplies. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering silently at the lack of contact he'd had with Jenova since that last attempt in Midgar. She seemed to have given up on him . . . which only made him wonder just what it was she was up to.

Rising from the bed, he went to the door, exiting the room quietly. Moving down the hallway, ghost like in his complete silence, he made his way down the stairs and out of the inn. Making a direct left turn, he headed for the one area of Nibelheim that had been untouched by fire . . . the one place that still remained standing and abandoned . . . Shin-Ra Mansion.

The gates still stood haphazardly, open enough to admit one person at a time. He hesitated, not sure what had drawn him to the place . . . then walked through the gate. The mansion door was unlocked . . . it appeared that no one in town ever came here for them to worry about locking it. He stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him. The room beyond had not changed . . . the staircase climbing one side to the balcony, the chandelier that hung with cobwebs . . . it was all the same, untouched by hand or time.

He sighed, moving softly across the foyer to the staircase, climbing them slowly, his hand trailing over the railing lightly. So much pain . . . so many horrifying memories that this house held for him. He found he was shivering uncontrollably. It was easy to find the secret door to the hidden labs . . . his mind flashed him the image of a guard sitting on watch across from it . . . he stopped at the image. He remembered . . . no. The memory had been there, fleeting on the edge of his mind, but was gone before he could grasp it. He stepped through the secret door, descending the decaying staircase slowly.

The bottom was dark . . . he didn't bother with a light, his inhuman vision making it easy for him to see in the brightest daylight or the darkest shadows equally. He made his way silently down the stone corridor, listening to the echo of his footsteps on the stone. It was the only sound in the place . . . no sound of creatures or the elements, just the sound of boots against stone. The door to the library and the secret lab loomed near at the end of the hallway . . . he hesitated before it momentarily before reaching out a hand to push it open. Absently he summoned Fire 1, calling the magic from his blood to light the oil lamps that he knew where there.

Illumination flared up, and he gazed in dull recognition at his surroundings. Yes . . . this was where he had lost his sanity . . . the place where Hojo had planted the final lie. He remembered . . . reading for days, not sleeping, not eating . . . absorbing the lies that Hojo had left here for him to find, knowing that it would prove the final straw to snap an already unbalanced mind.

"Did you accomplish what you had planned, Hojo?" he whispered, staring at the book shelves he had once plundered in his search for the truth. "Was my resulting insanity all that you had hoped it would be?" He walked down the corridor of books to the desk at the far end, sinking gracefully into the chair as he stared up at the portrait hanging above the door . . . a portrait of Hojo.

"I thought you were my father, you sadistic son of a bitch. All my life . . . all I could wonder was what I did wrong that made you hate me so much. I spent my whole childhood trying to come up with some reason for your torture, for your indifference. But you suspected all along, did you not?" he whispered, staring at the portrait in muted hatred. "You suspected all along that I was not your son . . . although I highly doubt it would have changed anything if you had completely believed you were my father. Science was the great love of your life . . . I was just the experiment."

"Sephiroth?"

"Hello Vincent." Vincent came into view at the other end of the corridor, his look one of slight concern.

"Here you are. I suspected you would come here . . . the others were worried when they didn't find you in the hotel room."

"I needed . . . to see it again. I do not know why . . . something just told me to come here."

"Well, since we are here . . . perhaps we could find something on what Hojo did to Zack? Since this is the lab in which he would have done it . . . or at least started it." Sephiroth stood up from the desk slowly, nodding slightly.

"I had not thought of that. Now . . . if I can remember how Hojo coded these damned books . . ." He wandered slowly down the hallway, scanning the bookshelves carefully. "Here it is." He pulled down a book slowly, the code on its binding reading Z-H-01. "Zack - Human - First Book," he explained to Vincent. 

"We should gather up the rest and take them back to the inn. I do not think it healthy for you to remain here long," Vincent murmured. Sephiroth sighed.

"Yes. There is nothing for me here . . . but horror." Gathering up five other volumes with the same code beginning, the two men left the house that had been their mental and physical prison and returned to their friends.

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*--------*

  
  


It was long hours later when father and son finally retired to their beds to sleep, having gone over the books several times, stopping to discuss certain key points between them. It felt like mere moments between the time Sephiroth had passed out to now, and he couldn't identify what had caused him to awaken from his slumber. Standing, he made his way to the window . . . and looked out onto a scene from his nightmares.

Nibelheim was burning . . . again. 

He shouted, a hoarse cry of denial breaking past his lips as he staggered back from the window and whirled towards the door, breaking through it at a dead run, making his way to the street below. Everywhere he saw flames, and the bodies of the innocent dead. He turned full circle, staring in horror at the carnage and destruction. It was then that he caught a glimpse of something beyond the flames, near the abandoned mansion. He charged, the Masamune appearing in his hand as he ran, the flames caressing him as if he was a part of them. In a way, he was, the rage boiling in his heart making his blood course like flames over fuel soaked wood.

Breaking from the fire, he stumbled to a halt as he came face to face with . . . himself. His eyes widened as the agony ripped through his chest, taking his breath with it in a pain filled hiss.

"No . . ." he gasped out. Raising the Masamune, he attacked, his rage adding speed to his already mind numbing movement. Masamune clashed against Masamune, green eyes met green eyes in glaring hatred as the two warriors faced off. This was a fight that neither could win . . . but that one could lose.

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


The group gathered in the hallway, all having been awakened by the same brief shout they had heard. Together, they left the inn, splitting up to search for their missing member . . . the one most vulnerable to attack in this one town . . . Sephiroth.

Tifa went with Vincent and Nanaki, the feral beast using his nose as best he could to try to track the scent of their missing comrade. It led them past the Shin-Ra mansion, still standing dark and silent, abandoned after the terrors it had been a part of. Vincent mentioned briefly that he and Sephiroth had been in there earlier, and that Sephiroth had seemed fine at the time before moving on, following the path that eventually would lead to the mako reactor in the mountains.

It was the sound of metal clashing against something that sent them into a run, Vincent taking the lead quickly as he recognized the voice of his newly discovered son crying out in denial. Pulling his gun from it's holster, he sped swiftly and silently up the path, only to skid to a halt around one corner. Nanaki and Tifa quickly caught up to him, and could only stare in dawning horror at the sight before them.

Sephiroth was fighting with something . . . . but all they could make out was a shadowy form. Shallow cuts decorated the majority of his body . . . even as they watched new ones appeared. It was Vincent who first connected the appearance of the wounds with blows Sephiroth was landing on the shadowed thing before him.

"Sephiro . . . Seth, stop!" he cried out, racing forward to pull his son away from the battle. Narrowly avoiding a blow that would have taken a good chunk of flesh out of him, he tackled the crazed swordsman, forcing him to the ground and banging his hand forcefully into the ground until he released his white-knuckled grip on the Masamune. He stared down into empty, glazed emerald eyes, staring at some sight that only their owner could see.

"It was all my fault . . . those innocent people . . . I will not allow it to happen again . . ." Sephiroth was murmuring, the words a chant that seemed to go with whatever horror was flashing past his eyes. Vincent and Tifa called out to him, but he didn't seem to be hearing anything that they were saying.

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


Again and again he attacked the image of himself, only to hear it laugh at him as his blows were either blocked or did no harm.

"This . . . will not . . . happen . . . again!" he growled, anger fueling his movements into a blur. His other half merely laughed, catching his arm and dragging him in closer until he was face to face with it.

"You can not stop it . . . just as you can not kill me. I am a part of you . . . and always will be. You are me . . . and someday you will be me again. Accept it, admit it weakling . . . you can not escape what you are."

"NEVER AGAIN!" Sephiroth howled, pulling himself from the other's grasp only to attack again. As his blade passed through the apparition, it melted, taking on the form of his nemesis . . . Jenova.

You can not escape me, beloved of my flesh, son of my blood. I am your mother as you are my son . . . those mortals gave you nothing compared to the power you had at my hand. Return to me . . . return to your mother's arms . . . I love you, my son . . . I have always loved you, as no one else will . . .

Already weakened by the mental 'trap' Jenova had lay for him, Sephiroth sank to his knees, the Masamune falling from his deadened grip as he grasped his head tightly in his hands, fighting to maintain the tenuous grip on his sanity that he so carefully preserved.

"NO!" he shouted out, crying out in agony as she clawed at his mind . . . taking away pieces of his sanity . . . of his newly acquired life. "NEVER!" He whimpered as the pain threatened to tear his mind asunder, his body curling in on itself to protect from a pain that came from within.

You will join me, or you will destroy yourself . . . you can not fight me forever, my beloved son . . . come to me . . . cease this endless torment, this fatal dream that you cling to so desperately . . . take up your sword and become the god you were meant to be by my side . . .

His soul cried out in agony, waves of darkness and despair crashing over it in never ending waves of torment as she ripped her way through his mind, seeking to once again take control of the body she had so lovingly prepared for herself in a different life. It was into this darkness, this nearly overwhelming tidal wave of agony that his soul was cast, screaming at the torment that awaited him in the pits of a hell of his own making. 

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


"Oh Planet, we're losing him Vincent. What is she doing to him?" Tifa whispered, her face etched with sorrow and worry as she stared down at the writhing body that Vincent held pinned beneath his body.

"I do not know, Tifa. But he is losing the battle. Talk to him Tifa . . . your voice has always been able to reach him . . . bring him back to himself. She's feeding off him . . . using his own guilt and inner torment against him . . . and it's tearing him apart."

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


"Sephiroth . . ." the voice whispered, a life line that he clung to desperately as he recognized the voice.

"Tifa . . ." he whispered. "I can not fight her . . . she is too strong . . ."

"You must . . . please, Sephiroth . . . fight her . . . your friends are here . . . you aren't alone anymore . . . come back to us . . ." The voice beckoned him, giving him strength when he had nearly given up the fight.

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


"He's responding to you Tifa . . . keep talking . . . lead him back to us . . ." Vincent murmured, staring down at his son, his own anger at Jenova muted by the fear that he would lose his son just as he had found him.

*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


"Tifa . . ." his voice whispered. Jenova recoiled mentally as the image of her smiling with him, talking with him brought light back into the darkness of his soul . . . the darkness that had nearly consumed him. She redoubled her efforts, mental claws tearing through the mind of her puppet in a vain attempt to gain a hold. The light was too strong, the emotions with it stronger as more images filtered through . . . Tifa standing before him, begging the rest to give him the chance to explain . . . Vincent handing him his mother's journal while telling him that his mother had loved him . . . Cloud welcoming him into their friendship . . . Cid staring at him as he tried a cigarette . . . the images flowed faster and brighter, forcing Jenova out of his mind. She retreated with a snarl, knowing that for the moment, he had won . . .

"Tifa . . . thank you . . ."

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


Vincent started as the body beneath him suddenly went limp, emerald eyes falling closed as Sephiroth stilled and fell silent. Quickly, he checked for a pulse, finding it strong but erratic, racing as if he had just run a marathon.

"We have him . . . we need to get him back to the inn though . . . and keep a close watch on him," Vincent murmured. Standing, he slung the limp form over his shoulder, grunting a little as the weight settled around his shoulders. Helping Tifa up from her kneeling position, they made their way back down the path, Tifa contacting the others on the PHS to let them know that they had found their missing friend.


	8. Regaining Mastery

Disclaimer - I don't own them . . . I wish I did.

  
  


Author's Notes - Many of you have brought up the question of whether or not there will be a Seph/Tifa/Cloud triangle . . . trust me, no love triangles involving Sephiroth will be found in this fic. However . . . to answer another concern, Aeris will be showing up for a short time in the next chapter, for all those who were dying for her to be around.

Now, onto another concern many seem to have . . . how easily Sephiroth was forgiven by AVALANCHE. Here is my logic on said issue : since they killed him, they've discovered the entire story behind him . . . how he was created, what was done to him as he was growing up, etc. It has been a year since they destroyed him (or so they thought) and they've had a lot of time to absorb this information and come to terms with it. This new information on Sephiroth's past, combined with Cloud's own experiences under Jenova, have made many of them wonder if Sephiroth was really the enemy, or if he was just another puppet, albeit a favored one. Add to that the fact that, when he did show up, he spent three months living and working with them, and became a close friend . . . well, I'm sorry, but if it were me, that would have me wondering if maybe I hadn't been wrong. Maybe I'm just an overly forgiving person when it comes to stuff like that though. At any rate, there is my logic on the subject, for any of you who thought it totally off that he was forgiven so easily. Not everyone has forgiven him . . . he is still the most hated man on the planet . . . Only the individuals who know his past have decided to give him another chance. Likely, anyone else who recognized him would kill him on sight.

  
  
  
  


Chapter 8 - Regained Mastery

  
  


Tifa placed another cold cloth upon Sephiroth's head, smoothing back the platinum strands as she stared down at the hauntingly beautiful face.

"A beautiful fallen angel, looking for salvation . . ." she murmured absently.

"Indeed," Vincent murmured from his perch near the window. Cloud and the other's were scouring the town for any sign of Jenova, but so far they had found nothing. Tifa had refused to leave Sephiroth's side since they had gotten him back to the inn over twelve hours ago, and Vincent needed to stay there, needed to be near his son. He turned crimson eyes to the figure lying in the bed, dark hair falling loosely forward to frame his own haunting face.

"Do you think . . . that he'll come out of this . . . whole?" Tifa murmured, staring at her enigmatic friend as he shifted to walk closer, his own hand reaching out to brush the platinum bangs back from his son's still face.

"I wish I knew, Tifa. That was a particularly nasty trap that Jenova lay for him . . . had we not been with him, he would have gone under again. As it is . . . we may have spared him from Jenova, but who knows whether he will come out of it still in one piece. I wish I knew what she showed him that drove him over the edge like that."

"It was Nibelheim . . . I'm sure of it. She took him back to the day he burned the town down," Tifa murmured thoughtfully. She stared up at Vincent, brushing tears away from her eyes absently. "How can someone live with so much darkness on his soul?"

"It is difficult, Tifa . . . to know that you have killed innocent people because of a single mistake, a single lapse in judgement. He has to deal with that . . . as well as fight her off at every turn. But he is still doing it . . . which only goes to show that he is not the monster he thinks he is. Someday, he may be able to look in a mirror and see that for himself . . . but not now. The blood is still too fresh, the guilt too overwhelming." Tifa nodded and sighed sadly, returning her gaze to Sephiroth. She couldn't imagine doing as he was . . . finding yourself alive again in a world that hated you so completely and totally, a world where hundreds had died at your hands and still more had almost lost their lives.

A slight groan brought her abruptly back to the present as blue/green eyes flickered open slowly, their gaze unfocused for a few moments before understanding returned to them. He turned slightly to regard Tifa, one hand reaching out to cup her face gently in silent gratitude.

"Welcome back," Vincent murmured from the other side of the bed. Sephiroth took his hand away from Tifa's face, using it to lever himself into a sitting position.

"How long?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"We have no idea how long she was after you . . . but you've been unconscious for nearly fourteen hours. We'd begun to wonder if you were coming back at all," Vincent replied.

"I almost did not," Sephiroth murmured, his eyes going dim with memories. "She nearly had me that time . . . it was my memories of our short time together so far that allowed me to regain the upper hand. She could not stand them and the light that they shone on her darkness." He sighed, his hand absently brushing strands of hair out of his face. "Where are the others?"

"Searching for some sign that she was here . . . we haven't gone to the reactor yet."

"Good. I suspect that is where we will find any signs . . . she chooses to be near Mako at all times." He levered himself off the bed, staggering a little as he leaned against the wall for support. Tifa was at his side in moments.

"You shouldn't be getting up yet . . ." she murmured in concern. Sephiroth looked down at her, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

"The sooner this is over, Tifa, the better all will be. These attacks will only get worse the longer this takes." He glanced into the mirror, and sighed wearily. "I am just going to hide the extent of my hair and keep my eyes down . . . the black comes out too easily now." Sinking back onto the bed, he began to plait his hair into a simple braid, one that was easily hidden once he shrugged into his trench coat. Turning to regard his companions, he managed a weak smile before walking out the door. "It is time to get to the reactor . . . then we can leave this place."

Tifa quickly dialed the others on the PHS as they followed Sephiroth out of the inn and back towards the Shin-Ra Mansion, where they waited for the others. Cloud was the first to show up, jogging up to them and throwing his arms around Tifa in a hug before turning concerned eyes to Sephiroth. Sephiroth merely nodded to him, a look of understanding passing between the two warriors. The rest of the group showed up soon afterwards, Reeve walking with Cid, Barrett and Nanaki coming up not too far behind. Together, they began the ascent to the reactor.

They arrived at the reactor without incident, something they were all vastly relieved by. Since Jenova's trap the past night, they were wary of more . . . especially since Sephiroth was still very vulnerable at the moment. Sephiroth alone went up to the room that had once housed Jenova . . . the others waited on the stairs outside, ready to rush in if anything seemed remotely out of place. He had insisted on that . . . although the others had argued rather heatedly. This was something he had to do alone.

Sephiroth looked around absently before approaching the tube that had contained Jenova so long ago. He knelt by a pool of liquid on the floor, reaching out to touch it with one cool finger. It was still warm . . . which meant she had been here recently . . . probably within the last two or three days. Mako took a long time to cool . . . and this was as warm as tap water, meaning at least a few days had passed since it had spilled. But where had she gone? She liked warmth . . . and she would need a ready supply of Mako. He didn't understand how she still had a body of her own . . . he figured she had either regenerated enough to move or taken over one . . . but if she had taken one over, what one? Were there more people out there with her cells in their bodies that he didn't know of? He stood slowly, taking one last glance around the room before turning to leave. It was then that a glint of light off something near the tube caught his eye.

He reached out for it, and then recoiled in shock as he realized what it was. A tiny round globe of materia . . . one that was solid black. How . . . how had this gotten here? He picked it up carefully, staring at it thoughtfully where it rested in the palm of his hand. It was cold . . . colder then space, colder then death. He could feel it radiating through his glove to the skin of his hand. Standing, he placed it carefully in an inside pocket. He would be it's guardian . . . it was only fitting, seeing as he was the one who had freed it from the temple in the first place. 

He left the room after that, finding nothing more in there that would give him any clue to where she was. He did, however, have an idea . . . one that the finding of the black materia had given him.

"We need to go to the City of The Ancients. I . . . need to speak with Aeris." The group stared at him in shock.

"Sephiroth . . ." Tifa began, unsure of how to say what all of them were thinking without bringing up painful memories for all of them.

"Yes, Tifa. I know that she is dead. I remember killing her, even though it was Jenova using me for her own sadistic whims. But she will still be there in spirit . . . or at least close enough that I should be able to contact her . . . if she will let me. She may be able to tell us where Jenova is." He ran a hand through his hair absently, debating on if he should tell them about finding the black materia. He decided against it . . . they already had enough to worry about. "Cid . . . I do not suppose you could get the Highwind here, could you?" Cid nodded, and grabbed his PHS. Sephiroth watched him for a moment before turning to the rest of the group.

"I know . . . I know that it will be painful to go there . . . considering what happened. I will go alone, if necessary . . . but I truly believe that this may be the only way to track her down. If we do not find her soon . . . who knows what she could be up to." It was Cloud that answered him, his voice soft, but steady.

"We're going with you. You are right . . . it will be painful to . . . go to that place. But . . . it won't be any worse for us then it was for you to come here. So, as soon as the Highwind gets here, we'll be off. I only hope . . . that she is there, as you seem to think she is." Sephiroth nodded, and led the way out of the reactor, lost in thought.

  
  


*----------*----------*----------*----------*

  
  


Sephiroth stood staring out at the mountains, a little ways away from the rest of the group. Tifa watched him silently, noting the determination on his face.

"Cloud," she said quietly, "I was thinking . . ."

"What about, Teef?"

"Him. Cloud . . . do you get the feeling he doesn't plan on living past killing Jenova?" Cloud nodded.

"Yeah . . . I've been wondering about it myself. But I can't come up with a reason. We're helping . . . so he's not going to be facing her alone. How would he die?"

"I don't know . . . but I think maybe he plans on making sure he doesn't. But why would he do that?" She jumped in shock as she got an unexpected answer.

"Because . . . as long as I am alive, she could come back," Sephiroth murmured, not turning from his view of the mountains. "All I want . . . is peace. I am hoping death will grant me that, at least."

"Sephiroth . . ." Tifa began, shocked.

"No, Tifa. While I am essentially following my own path this time . . . I still have a final destiny that is already set in stone. Once Jenova is dead . . . that destiny is complete. Nothing can change that . . . I was not meant for this world, or any other." He turned to look at her, his eyes serious. "I know . . . that you were hoping to show me the life I never had. Trust me . . . you have already shown me more than I ever expected. When I die . . . at least I will have some experiences to take with me that I never would have had otherwise." He walked away slowly, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trench coat, his hair blowing gently in the mountain breeze. Tifa could only stare after him, her face full of sorrow.

He sat down in the shadow of the reactor, his hands clenched into fists. Holding the black materia in his hand, he stared at it, his hatred plain on his face. It was finding the piece of materia . . . this cursed stone . . . that had made him see the truth. He COULD NOT survive Jenova's death . . . not if he wanted to be sure she would remain dead. Cloud was safe . . . he did not have enough cells from Jenova in his body for her to use him that way . . . Sephiroth had confirmed that. Sephiroth, on the other hand, was practically another part of her . . . which meant, as she lay dying, she would try to take him over, incorporating herself into his form. He could not allow that . . . which meant he had to die with her. If he did not, she would keep coming back . . . just like the piece of materia he held in his hand. That meant he needed to take care of Zack, as well. That thought left the taste of bitter ashes in his mouth . . . in order to secure the safety of his friends, he would be required to once again destroy the man who had been his only friend in his earlier life.

So . . . you really are willing to sacrifice yourself to see me dead. How utterly foolish of you. And now you hope that dead Cetra bitch will help you to find me? When will you learn, Sephiroth . . . I am eternal. As are you. Death will give you no peace . . . you will burn in a hell of the Planet's making for your crimes. Why not come to me? Come to me, join me at my side as my beloved son . . . and together we will create a paradise where you can have the peace you crave.

"At what cost, Jenova? How many innocent lives will have to die for that 'paradise' you speak of?" he murmured, his eyes locked on the black materia.

Humanity is a parasite . . . all of them must die. But, in the end, the Planet will heal the damage they have caused to it, and we will create a new race . . . a race that will guard the Planet, like the Cetra. They will worship us as Gods . . . and Gods we will be. All it will take is for you to join me . . . and bring the black materia back to me.

"Do you honestly think I would agree to that? More innocent blood shed for a chance at peace? That is not what I want, and you know it. There can be no peace for me with their blood on my hands . . . no matter what the cause. Death is the only peace I have left to me . . . death and the oblivion that awaits me."

Then come and die, flawed son of my body. Come to me and die . . . and know that you will fail. I await you.

"Then keep waiting, Jenova. I am coming for you," he murmured. He stared down silently at the black materia, pondering his conversation with the creature. She had sounded . . . desperate, when she mentioned the black materia . . . as if she would have it anywhere but in his hands. Was she afraid of it? Mentally, he reached out towards the stone, and jumped in shock when it suddenly went warm . . . as if accepting him. Puzzled, he brought it up to his line of sight, staring into the murky depths . . . and saw it swirl slightly. His eyes widened as he came to a realization . . . the black materia still saw him as it's master . . . which meant he could still use it!

Silently, he sat in the shadows of the reactor and began to explore the materia with his mind, trying to gauge what exactly it could do. A course of action began to take shape in his head . . . a sure way to kill Jenova and make sure she stayed dead. Smiling slightly, he determined to fully explore the materia, suspecting that it too had a part to play in Jenova's final downfall.


	9. Speaking With the Dead

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters from FFVII. Don't that just bite.

  
  


Author's Note - I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Our computer has been on the fritz for the last two weeks and I was unable to do anything with it. I hope you can all forgive me.

  
  


Chapter 9 - Speaking with the Dead

  


The journey to the City of the Ancients went quickly thanks to the Highwind. No one saw Sephiroth the entire time . . . he remained in his room, away from their eyes, away from their pity and fear for him. He couldn't deal with it . . . couldn't deal with facing them, developing friendships with all of them, knowing that he was not going to live much longer. He had isolated himself from them . . . whether to spare himself pain or them he could not say. He had even cut himself off from his new found father . . . the man had carried enough guilt with the death of Lucrecia . . . Sephiroth would not allow him to carry guilt for his son's death as well. His death was his own . . . his own choice, his own destiny.

He lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, the black materia resting in his bare hand on his chest, feeling the hum of the Highwind's motors around him. His mind was blank, empty . . . deliberately kept that way as he tried not to dwell on all he would leave behind in his death. So much had changed since he had been awakened by Jenova . . . he had changed. He had become . . . human, in a way that he could never have foreseen. All due to a simple choice of walking into Seventh Heaven the night he'd arrived in Midgar.

He wondered if the Fate's really did hate him . . . allowing him to finally experience the life he'd been denied . . . only to take it away by refusing him any other course but death in order to accomplish his mission. He had come so close . . . so close to everything he had ever wished he could have - a normal life, friends, a father . . . all of it. It was all just so ironic. He sighed, feeling the cold weight of the black materia against his chest . . . near to where his heart was. Once, his heart had been as cold as the materia he held. His childhood had taught him that no one cared about him . . . his time in SOLDIER had taught him he was only worth what skills he had . . . his time under Jenova had all been a lie. He had hidden himself away, sealing himself off from the world behind a cold mask of indifference, unable to bear the terrible weight of his existence any other way. Now . . . his heart had warmed . . . but his life was forfeit.

He had slowly discovered the true power of the black materia . . . and he also knew what price that power came by. It would be the instrument of Jenova's destruction . . . and his own. His fingers tightened around it unconsciously at that thought. He was no where near a master of it's new power . . . but he couldn't really practice with it either. Not if he wanted to survive to fight. The power of the black materia came from it's wielder's life force . . . the more of yourself you poured into it, the more it gave you. But it would also feed off you, if you let it. One had to be strong willed in order to master it . . . and in order to summon it's ultimate power, one had to be willing to give up one's life. That, Sephiroth had found, would not be a problem . . . it actually solved all of them quite nicely. He would destroy Jenova and himself . . . by feeding the black materia his life to end hers.

There was a knock at the door. Quickly he shoved the materia under the pillow before calling out to whoever it was to come in. Surprisingly enough, it was Cloud.

"You've been kinda scarce, Sephiroth. We were worried about you."

"There is no need. I just . . . needed to be alone."

"Well . . . at any rate, we're almost there. We should be landing in a few minutes." Cloud regarded him silently for a few minutes before speaking again. "I know what you are doing. It's not going to make this any easier, Sephiroth."

"What else should I do, Strife? I already know what has to happen . . . it can not be avoided. Besides . . . I want this. I want to be free . . . of everything."

"Even life? Sephiroth . . . for Planet's sake, you've come so far . . . why are you so willing to give it up now?"

"Because I do not deserve it. I was never meant to live, Cloud. I should never have been born." He stood slowly, retrieving his jacket from the chair. He turned to stare at Cloud, his platinum hair forming a curtain around him. "Were it not for my birth, none of this would have come about. I am guilty of crimes too horrible to mention . . . and none of them would have happened if life had followed it's proper course." He shrugged into his jacket before turning to face Cloud again. "What would you have me do, Cloud? Forego the absolute annihilation of Jenova so I can have a chance at a life I was never supposed to have? I can not and will not do that. If I were to do so . . . the death's of Zack, Aeris . . . and all those other innocent people . . . would have been for nothing. At least this way, their deaths have some meaning . . ." He retrieved the black materia from it's spot under his pillow, shoving it in a pocket so Cloud would not see. He brushed past the spike haired warrior, stopping just in the hall way, his back to the young man as he spoke. "My life . . . is mine to sacrifice this time, Cloud. So help me make the most of it . . . and stop feeling sorry for me." With that last comment said, he walked away, leaving Cloud to stare at his back.

Vincent came up beside Cloud silently, watching his son ascend the stairs at the end of the hall before speaking to the man beside him.

"He is so much like me . . . he carries so much guilt, it weighs him down." Cloud turned to look at him.

"You know that he intends to die with Jenova then?" he asked quietly.

"I don't think he 'intends' to do anything more then see this quest through to it's completion," Vincent murmured in reply. "However, he is convinced that in order to fully succeed in wiping her from the planet, he must die as well. To be honest . . . I believe he may be right." Cloud stared at him in shock.

"Vincent! But . . . but he's your son! Shouldn't you be trying to stop him?"

"He can't be stopped, Cloud. Not in this. He is determined to see this through . . . even though he knows he races head long to his own death. We have only just discovered our own ties . . . and my blood tie to him is not very deep considering the genetic tampering Hojo did. He truly is more Jenova's son in that respect. And how else does a parent live on after their death . . . then by their children?" Vincent sighed, and turned to face Cloud. "Jenova may very well manage to take him over as she dies . . . and then we will have to kill him. It is better this way . . . although I wish we had more time." 

"I can see your point Vincent . . . although I wish I couldn't. It seems so tragic though . . . just as he's learning to live, he has to die." Vincent only nodded, and approached the stairs himself, disappearing from view quickly. Cloud sighed, and followed . . . his mind working on some way of diverting the flow of destiny for a second time.

  


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They reached the outskirts of the Sleeping Forest not long afterwards. Sephiroth, in a raw display of power, simply dropped over the side of the Highwind to land gracefully on the ground below. The rest decided to stick to the ladder . . . although Tifa did not hesitate to stick her tongue out at the swordsman when she finally touched ground.

"Showoff!" she called out, grinning. Sephiroth merely smiled slightly in reply and nodded before walking to the forest's edge.

"How the fuck are we supposed to get through here! Only a fucking ancient can get through this damn forest from hell . . . and there ain't no fucking ancients left alive!" Cid asked, staring into the forest in annoyance. Sephiroth merely shrugged and stepped forward, holding his hand out towards the forest. Several jaws hit the ground when the trees merely parted before him.

"I was here before, remember?" Sephiroth called over his shoulder. "They let me through that time . . . I assumed they would do so again. I only wish I understood why." The others followed him into the forest, glancing around cautiously as they followed the path through the dark wood. The silence was eery, like the forest lay in wait for them to make one wrong move. Sephiroth strode forward silently, looking neither left nor right. To Tifa, it looked like he was in deep concentration . . . as if he was casting some sort of magic from inside himself.

'Maybe the rumor was true after all . . . perhaps there is some Cetra in him,' she thought, watching him absently. They had all discussed it once before . . . long ago, when Sephiroth's inherent magical abilities had come to light. It was Aeris who had first speculated that he might have some ties to the Cetra. The young flower girl had tried to get answers out of her beloved Planet . . . but all she had gotten had been confusion. Tifa still couldn't believe he could be so calm, knowing that these were the last days of his life. She would have been frantic.

They reached the city in record time, descending the hidden staircase to the pool below hesitantly. Sephiroth seemed to tense more as they descended, his muscles tightening as they neared the place where he had killed Aeris. Finally, they all stood on the alter itself, Sephiroth's face a mask of cold marble. The rest shifted restlessly around him, unsure of what would happen next. They were startled when Sephiroth called out softly.

"Aeris . . . if you are here, the Planet is in peril from Jenova once again. I ask that you help us . . . myself and your friends . . . to find Jenova so that we may destroy her." At his words, a faint glow began to form above the water . . . right above the place where Cloud had released Aeris' body to it's final rest. It coalesced into the form of the young Cetra flower girl, gliding lightly over the water to stand before them on the alter.

"Welcome home . . . brother," she whispered to Sephiroth, who had fallen to his knees before her, his head bowed in a shame that had engulfed him the moment she appeared. His head lifted at the greeting, his eyes widening in question at her words. The ghost knelt before him, reaching out to touch him with ethereal hands. He stiffened, freezing completely as he felt her hands on his face, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Brother?" he whispered, unsure of what she could possibly mean. The ghostly Aeris nodded, a slight smile on her face at the unsteadiness in his voice.

"Yes . . . brother. There is Cetra in you, Sephiroth . . . something Hojo had not planned. Your mother, Lucrecia, had Cetran blood. Unrealized, unfocused, diluted . . . but the Jenova in you brought it out in full force. You are the last Cetra . . . not me." Sephiroth stared at her in disbelief, his eyes wide in shock. Him . . . a Cetra? Aeris nodded as if hearing his thoughts. "That is why you could pass through the forest . . . that is how you can summon magic from inside yourself. It is untrained . . . with training you could hear the Planet speaking to you, if you listened well . . . but it is there." Sephiroth could only stare at her in silence. It explained so much . . .

"Aeris . . ." Cloud whispered. She rose to her feet to glide over to him.

"Hello Cloud. It is good to see you again. I am so glad you and Tifa finally got around to telling each other about your feelings. I actually wanted to get violent with you a couple of times . . . you were being so dense!" The specter giggled suddenly. "But enough of that. You all wanted to know where Jenova is, yes?" Cloud nodded, still stunned at the appearance of the girl he had protected for a short time.

"She is heading for the Northern Crater. The mako energy there is strong . . . as is the Lifestream. Be careful though . . . she has a new body, and a creation of Hojo's at her disposal. She will not be an easy foe. And she still desires Sephiroth." She turned back to the platinum haired warrior, who was still on his knees, stunned by the revelation that he had Cetra blood. She went back to him, standing before him silently until he looked up at her.

"Sephiroth . . ." she whispered, drawing his attention back to her. There were tears in his eyes . . . tears of anger, of sorrow and pain.

"Aeris . . . forgive me . . . please . . . what happened to you . . ."

"Was not your fault," she whispered, kneeling in front of him again. "I know that it was Jenova using you . . . everything was made clear to me when I rejoined my ancestors in the Promised Land. You bear a great weight on your soul . . . and it is not a burden that you should have." The spectral hand moved to brush his hair from his face. "Your path is so clouded . . . everything before you lies in darkness. But I promise you . . . there will be light again. Your destiny is more than you know . . . more than you could imagine. I will be waiting for you . . . in the end. You will not face it alone . . . I promise." She stood slowly, glancing at them all one last time. "My time is done here . . . I must go before I use up more energy than I should. Be careful, all of you. The darkness ahead is all consuming . . . Jenova will throw everything at you that she can to try to ensure a victory for herself. Do not let it turn you from your path . . . Jenova must be destroyed. I love you all . . . my friends." She slowly faded from sight, a happy smile on her face. The group awoke as if from a trance, staring at the place where she had stood.

"Was that real?" Tifa asked quietly, breaking the stunned silence.

"Yes," Sephiroth whispered. "I can feel it . . . I do not know how, but I can feel that it was her. She has been waiting for us . . ." He sighed, standing slowly to face the pool. "Thank you Aeris . . . for everything." Silently he turned from the water, making his way up the stairs in a daze. He . . . a Cetra? The thought was impossible, improbable . . . true. It explained so much to him . . . but it left so many more wounds in it's wake. He was the last protector of the Planet . . . and he had tried to destroy it. His knees gave out on him suddenly, and he sank to the stone steps.

"This . . . is not . . . going to help things . . ."

Oh, but it makes such a wonderful twist of fate, does it not, my arrogant son . . . You, the last protector of the Planet, trying to destroy it instead. I found it wonderfully ironic . . . my last revenge on those pathetic Cetra . . .

"You knew . . ." he hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Of course I knew . . . I know everything about you. You are the last remaining Cetra . . . you are the son of my blood . . . you are the monster created from science . . . you are mine.

Rage engulfed him suddenly, his eyes blazing into green as he rose to his feet. He knew his rage was dangerous, knew that he was slipping closer into the demon he had been, but he could not bring himself to be concerned in this moment. The magic flickered through him, his thoughts centered on the creature that had lied to him . . . used him . . . had KNOWN what he was and kept it from him . . . 

He pushed suddenly, forcing magic through his link with Jenova, his fury giving his thought form and focus. He heard her scream in pain and surprise as it burst upon her.

"You . . . will . . . die!" he snarled. "No more lies, no more betrayal . . . no more!" He spun as footsteps approached, facing the group that had come up behind him. Tifa reached out, and he backed away suddenly.

"Stay away from me . . ." he hissed, his voice once again that of the cold warrior and monster he had been. Turning, he flew up the steps, his rage giving him speed he had never tapped into before. Behind him, he could hear the others following as best they could, Cloud calling out to him, but he ignored them. He needed to be away . . . away from them, away from Jenova . . . away from this cursed existence that would not leave him be. Drawing his magic around him, he faded into the shadows, emerald eyes closing as he hid from them . . . hid from the world that still sought to bring him to his knees. They ran by, assuming he was heading back to the Highwind. He watched them, part of him wanting to call out, to call back the friends he had gained, but he squelched it ruthlessly. It was time to be done with all of this . . . and his longing for a life he was not destined to have had been getting in the way. He knew that now, knew it with the stunning clarity his anger gave his mind. He'd been holding on to a lie, holding on to the belief that if he truly repented, somehow his soul could be salvaged.

"Fool," he hissed to himself, as he brought the black materia out, staring at it coldly. "I have been living in a dream . . . a dream that can never come to pass. I am damned . . . I know that now . . . I see it more clearly with each passing second. It is time to finish this." He summoned his power absently, willing it to take him to the Northern Crater . . . the place where it would all end. The lies, the truths . . . life and death lay in that crater for him . . . and he went to it freely, his heart once again trapped within it's cage, his mind cleared of the hopes and dreams he had tried to hold on to. They would never come to pass . . . he was not destined for life.


	10. Chapter 10 cause I can't remember

Disclaimer - Don't own them, never will.

Author's Note - One more chapter left after this one . . . the prologue, to be exact. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter . . . and be warned. There is blood, gore, and swearing in this one.

  
  


Chapter 9 - Cursed

  


Cold winds blew across the winter wasteland the arrival of Jenova had created so long ago, stirring up snow in a blinding haze. Platinum hair snapped in the harsh wind, emerald eyes burning with intensity as they stared down into what could very well have been the pit of hell.

"Jenova . . ." he growled, his voice unheard in the howling winds that caressed him absently, his black trench snapping and fanning out behind him. The time was nearly come . . . the end of his cursed existence, and that of the creature that lay before him . . . the progenitor of all the lies and pain. His eyes narrowed as he thought of Tifa . . . Cloud . . . Vincent . . . Barrett, Cid, Nanaki . . . they would be here soon, and he could not allow them to get in the way. He was sure they had given up looking for him by now . . . they would be coming to try for Jenova themselves, and he could not allow that to happen. Jenova was his . . . his to kill, his to end. After he took care of Zack. He shoved aside the flash of pain that thought caused.

Zack was not Zack anymore . . . he was a creature the Hojo had altered . . . a puppet of Jenova. It was not Zack any longer . . . he needed to keep reminding himself of that fact. Standing slowly, he made his way to the path that spiraled downwards. It was time.

  


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"Do you really think he's already there, Vincent?" Cloud asked quietly, standing near his silent friend on the balcony of the Highwind. The others were on the bridge, discussing tactics . . . but Cloud had felt the need to be out here, with Vincent.

The man had withdrawn back into the demonic persona he had when they had all first met him . . . the dark, brooding silence that enveloped him like a cloak. Cloud knew what was going on in that head . . . he was worrying over Sephiroth. They all were, in a way. They had lost valuable time searching for him after he disappeared in the Ancient City. It had been Vincent who had finally called it off, suddenly realizing exactly what his son had done.

Sephiroth had left them . . . but this time, he hadn't been trying to protect them as his first priority. This time, he was trying to prevent them getting in his way . . . getting in the way of doing what he thought needed to be done. He had slipped back behind the mask of his demon self, leaving them facing a familiar monster once again on the steps to the ancient city . . . but this time, that monster was directed at their enemy and himself.

Vincent only hoped that the Highwind arrived in time . . . in time to at least help his son, if they couldn't stop him from stepping over the brink into oblivion once again.

"He's there, Cloud. It is the only thing he has left to do . . . Jenova is his only thought now."

"I still don't understand it . . . why would he leave help behind?" Cloud said, shaking his head in confusion. "He does know that we're trying to help him, right?"

"No," Vincent replied shortly. "He's thinking with his coldly analytical mind again, not the heart that he was bestowed this time. That mind, shaped to be the general and the god, does not see us as help . . . it sees us as complications. We've caused him to feel . . . to react impulsively . . . and the warrior in him sees that as illogical and dangerous. You remember your SOLDIER training, Cloud . . . they teach you to set aside your personal feelings to be better able to analyze the situation at hand, to better carry out the mission. Those ideals have been bred into him and hammered through him his whole life . . . and Jenova was trying to use us against him. Therefore, he discarded us . . . went alone in the hopes of having a clearer chance at her." Vincent sighed, his human hand running through his hair haphazardly as he looked at Cloud for a moment. "No one has taught him that emotions can be used as well . . . he doesn't understand it, and I suspect all of these new feelings have him confused and off-balance. So, he's distanced himself from the cause of these 'problems'." Cloud nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah . . . I see what you mean. Well, we should be there soon . . ." he murmured, before moving away. 'And I only hope we're in time for you to see him one last time . . .'

  


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He was nearing her . . . he could feel that part of him that was her thrumming at the nearness of her essence. It disgusted him, to be reminded that he was a part of her . . . a rogue part, but a part nonetheless. Green eyes narrowed as he spied a figure waiting for him below, and he grinned suddenly, a feral smirk that spoke of bloodlust and betrayal.

"Zack . . ." he growled, summoning the Masamune as he strode towards the waiting man, his blood heating to it's boiling point as the familiar face became clearer.

"Hello . . . murderer," the figure replied, it's own sword held at ready as it watched the advancing general.

"For once, you are exactly right . . . that is exactly what I am," he snarled, before launching himself into a blinding flurry of attacks. His blows were blocked easily, but the thing that had once been his friend got no chance to get in attacks of it's own. Sephiroth stepped back suddenly, pausing in his attacks to study his opponent.

"What's wrong, mighty general?" Zack sneered. "Finding it hard to kill me again?" Sephiroth merely smirked, his eyes cold as he looked at the figure.

"What makes you think that? Oh, that is right . . . you are under the flawed assumption that I care. Guess what . . . I no longer have that flaw." In a move so fast it was barely seen, he speared the Masamune through the figure before him. Zack's eyes widened in shock as the blade sliced through him, his eyes meeting the glowing emerald of Sephiroth's own from inches away. "I am the only monster here . . . you, on the other hand, are dead," the former general hissed. He withdrew the blade slowly, his eyes remaining locked on the wide eyes of his former friend. "Goodbye . . . Zack." Spinning, the Masamune cut through flesh and vertebra in a smooth arc of singing steel. The air erupted in blood as Zack's head was severed from the rest of his body, showering down on his killer, drenching the platinum hair with red. Sighing, Sephiroth relaxed his stance, brushing the sticky strands of hair from his face absently.

"I am coming for you . . . mother," he whispered, kicking the head away from him with his boot. "It is time to pay for your crimes . . . and it is time for me to make the final payment for my own."

  


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They climbed down the ladder quickly, armed with their weapons and materia, prepared for anything. The silence was deafening . . . only the sounds of the cold wind howling over the plain. There was no sign of Sephiroth or Jenova.

"She must actually be down in the crater . . . okay, same plan as the last time we did this shit . . . stick close together, shoot anything that moves unless it's Sephiroth. If it is Seph, just stay out of his way . . . we don't know how he'll react to us being here yet, and I'd rather not take any chances," Cloud said, adjusting his sword across his back. The rest nodded, fanning out to scan the area before they began their descent into the crater. It was Barrett that discovered the fresh footprints, calling the other's to it with a loud yell. Vincent leaned down to examine them minutely before standing up and nodding at Cloud.

"He is here already, as I suspected," he murmured. Standing slowly, he strode towards the path, the other's following the silent figure cautiously, alert to any sudden attacks that might occur.

  


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Sephiroth entered the chamber slowly, his eyes scanning the area cautiously for any sign of his target. He was drawn towards the vast pool of Mako that lay in the center of the room, approaching it slowly, his boots against the stone the only sound in the otherwise still room. He stared down into the still pool of mako, his face reflected back to him in all it's harsh lines. He started and stepped back in surprise when the face became that of Hojo. 

He continued to back off as the form of his supposedly long-dead tormentor arose from the pool, the mako dripping green to the stone below as he stood staring at his creation. It took a long moment before Sephiroth realized what he was truly looking at . . . the form of Jenova's current host.

"Jenova . . ." he whispered. Of all the form's she could have taken, this was the one he had least expected, and had been the least prepared for.

"Greetings, my arrogant son. What is the matter? Do not like this form? I find it suits me perfectly . . . even in death, Hojo can serve my plans well."

"Yes . . . you are both sadistic," Sephiroth replied, dismissing the Masamune from his hand as he stared at the creature, his eyes glowing with animosity. Jenova/Hojo's head tilted curiously to one side at the action, the pink eyes regarding him thoughtfully.

"Dismissing your only weapon? How thoughtless of you . . . unless you have changed your mind. You are still my favorite son, Sephiroth . . . I still desire to have you at my side . . . with me once again." Sephiroth approached her/him slowly, his hands held lax at his sides. Jenova/Hojo met him halfway, her/his hands reaching out to gently touch his face. He closed his eyes, inwardly cringing at what he had to allow Jenova to do . . . but he needed her close to him . . . in order for this to work, he needed to be near her. He opened his eyes again, only to start in shock as he found himself looking down into the face of Aeris.

"Do not be startled, my beloved son . . . I only wish to make you happy . . . you admired the Cetra girl, did you not . . . I have merely cast an illusion . . . pretend it is her . . ." Jenova/Aeris whispered against his lips. He controlled the urge to gag, capturing the illusionary lips with his own, distracting her as he summoned the magic deep within the sphere he secretly held . . . the magic his Cetran blood had given him control over.

  


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Cloud stumbled to a halt as they entered the final chamber, the scene before him catching him completely by surprise. Tifa gasped, Cid swore, Barrett moaned . . . only Vincent remained silent as they stared at Sephiroth kissing what looked like Aeris. Cloud noticed the clenched fist, knuckles white as bone, and realization dawned on him.

"He's summoning!" Cloud whispered, his voice hoarse. He caught a glimpse of the materia, and his breath left him in a whoosh of air.

"Yes, Cloud . . ." Vincent murmured, having seen it himself and correctly interpreting Cloud's sudden release of air. "He's using the black materia."

"But . . . it was lost!"

"Apparently, it found him." They all stepped back in horror as purple/black flames shot up around the entwined couple. Jenova/Aeris screamed, the illusion flickering out of sight as the burning began. Sephiroth stepped back, wiping his mouth in disgust, his other hand clamped firmly on her wrist, holding her in the flames. The black materia glittered in his hand, and she stared at it in horror.

"How . . .?" she gasped.

"I am the last Cetra, remember? I only had to look inside myself to summon the true power of the black materia . . . which I now use to destroy you."

"But . . . it will kill you . . . as well as me . . ."

"Exactly as I wish it to. No one of your blood line is left now, Jenova. It is left to you and me . . . and we are going down together." He watched as Jenova struggled futilely to get away from him, to leave the ring of black/purple flame that was closing in on them steadily. "You have weakened Jenova . . . losing your original body has left you scrounging for what scraps of power you can reclaim. That is why you were so desperate to get me back . . . and that is why I will so desperately die rather than join you. You have failed Jenova . . . and this time I WILL find my peace in death."

"Sephiroth . . . NO!" Tifa shouted, racing forward, only to be blocked as a second wall of flame forced her to stop short.

"Tifa . . . I did not want you here . . . any of you," Sephiroth said, turning to her, his eyes shifting to blue as they met hers through the flames. "I am sorry . . . I hope your life will be easier from now on." He turned from her, but not before she saw the shine of tears.

"No . . ." she moaned, dropping to her knees as the realization of exactly what he was doing hit her. Cloud came forward, picking her up gently and handing her to Barrett, his own blue eyes staring through the flames to the tall figure, blinking his own tears away. A year ago, he would have said that Sephiroth was incapable of this . . . but that was the Sephiroth who had been a god, an icon, a man who had not been a man at all. This Sephiroth, against all odds and obstacles, had become a beloved friend, a member of their group . . . family. Once he had been a murderer . . . a heartless monster. But that Sephiroth was long gone . . . and now, this one would be as well.

Vincent stood silent, crimson eyes focused on the man who was his son. Inside, he raged at the fate's that were once again denying him a chance at happiness. But he understood . . . he understood why Sephiroth was doing this. This was his final act of redemption . . . but the price was high. Sephiroth turned suddenly, meeting Vincent's eyes with his own. They begged him to understand . . . and to forgive. He nodded once, letting his son know he understood . . . and accepted. Sephiroth smiled slightly, a sad, nearly wistful expression on his fey features, just before Vincent felt the surge of magic as he called on the full power of the black materia. The purple/black flames roared up, obscuring their view of the platinum haired general . . . but they could hear Jenova's scream intensify. It was then, as the sound reached a pitch that threatened to shatter their ear drums, that Jenova's reinforcements arrived. The group shook out of their stunned immobility, moving to intercept the creatures in unison. 

Rimmed in the flickering flames, Sephiroth watched as Jenova struggled in his grip, desperate to break free of him. He pulled her closer, holding her to him as she was licked by the purple flames of the dark magic only he controlled. 

"Fare thee well, creature," he murmured, his eyes closing as he felt the black materia sapping his strength . . . his life. "Burn in hell . . . I will join you shortly, I am sure. It is done." There was one last scream of agony and defeat, one last wail from the damned creature he held in his grasp . . . and then she hit his mind.

I . . . WILL . . . NOT . . . BE . . . DEFEATED!

He gasped, staggering as she ripped through his shields, violently taking control of his mind. But she could not stop what he had set in motion . . . the black materia continued to draw on his life force. She raged inside his head, helpless to stop his life from slipping through her grasp.

"Go . . . to hell," he whispered. He felt her die inside his mind, her last effort wasted as the flame that sustained her guttered and fled, drained by the materia he held firmly in his grasp. He dropped to his knees, retching as blood flooded his mouth, the crimson liquid spilling silently from his lips as the purple/flames guttered and died with his fading life.

'It is over . . .' he thought, before he collapsed, the black materia falling from his numb fingers.

Vincent made it to the fallen figure first, his crimson cloak rippling behind him as he fell to his knees beside his son. Crimson liquid still trickled from his lips, the platinum hair stained with blood forming a wave of crimson light across the stone floor.

"Forgive me . . . father . . . for I have . . . sinned . . ." Sephiroth whispered, staring up into Vincent's face. Tears fell silently from Vincent's eyes as he stared down at the former general, his human hand reaching out to brush back the platinum bangs one last time.

"Sephiroth . . ." Vincent whispered brokenly as his son grasped his hand with one of his own.

"Do not . . . mourn for me . . . I will be . . . at peace . . . finally," Sephiroth murmured, his breath becoming harder to catch. "I was not . . .meant for . . . life." The blue eyes focused over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to him. "Do not . . . withdraw from life . . . again. Let them . . . help you . . . as they helped me." Blue eyes turned to the ceiling, one last breath catching in his throat as their light dimmed . . . and finally died.

"Good night, sweet prince . . . may flights of angel's wing thee to thy rest," Nanaki murmured. A final silence spread out, surrounding them in it's comfort as they mourned for the man who had never lived . . . the boy who had never been a child . . . the god who had never achieved his godhood.

"It is done," Cloud whispered finally, unconsciously echoing Sephiroth's words of earlier. "May the Planet have mercy on his tortured soul."

  
  


Author's Notes Continued - Sephiroth's final words to Vincent are thanks to the Catholic/Christian religion. I felt they were very appropriate there, especially coming from Sephiroth. Nanaki's final words are thanks to William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' . . . a literary masterpiece that influenced me a lot, and that line I also felt was perfect there, especially coming from Nanaki. One more chapter left . . . please review ; )

  
  
  
  



	11. Once and Again

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters of FFVII. But, thank heaven's, Seph has agreed to be my muse, for which I am eternally grateful.

Author's Notes - Well . . . here it is. The final chapter . . . ie, Epilogue, to this story. I hope you enjoy it.

  
  


Chapter 10 - Once and Again

Tifa cleaned the bar silently, her eyes resting every now and then on the stool at the far end of the bar . . . the stool 'Seth' had occupied during his hours as bouncer to Seventh Heaven. It had been three years since the final showdown with Jenova . . . three years since Sephiroth had sacrificed himself to destroy the creature. Vincent occupied it now, absently watching the patrons from the shadows of his cloak. Midgar was nearing it's completion . . . she and Cloud had been married six months after the final showdown. Tonight was the anniversary of that final fight . . . the others would be here soon to raise a glass in silent prayer to the soul of their departed friend. The bar was closing now . . . she sighed as she glanced up at the clock. Five more minutes. She heard the bell signifying the opening of the bar door, but did not turn around to see, assuming that it had been another patron leaving.

None of her patrons wanted to be forcefully removed by Vincent. Most of them behaved beautifully even when drunk for fear that the volatile man would come anywhere near them if they got out of line. She stopped to look at the picture over the bar . . . a picture showing the entire group gathered around a single, black haired, violet eyed man who's eyes reflected horrors belying his youthful appearance. It had been taken during his brief stay as Seth . . . Tifa smiled as she remembered him protesting the picture, saying it was not his place to be in among the friends. 'You belonged there more than any of us ever suspected . . .' she thought, before turning back to the glass in her hand, pushing back the tears that threatened to spill again.

Vincent noticed immediately, however. 

"Thinking of him again, Tifa?" he murmured. Tifa merely nodded, her eyes fixed on the glass before her. She heard Vincent shift, and glanced up to find him regarding the picture as well. He'd had the hardest time . . . finding his son only to loose him mere weeks later had done nothing to help his perpetually dark state of mind. They had thought he would follow Sephiroth into death for a while . . . then Barrett had rather rudely reminded him of Sephiroth's final words to him.

"'Do not withdraw from life again. Let them help you as they helped me.'" That had proved to be Vincent's breaking point. He had disappeared that night . . . only to show up two weeks later, back in his usual form, his demons dealt with. He had even agreed to move into the bar when Cloud and Tifa bought a house nearby. He had been there ever since, ceasing his wandering and settling down with an easiness that had startled Tifa and Cloud, and amused Nanaki. Barrett had returned to Corel, Cid to his beloved Shera (who he'd finally gotten around to marrying), and Reeve to rebuilding the rest of Midgar and the other cities Shin-Ra had destroyed.

As if her thoughts had summoned them, AVALANCHE strode through the door, their mood somber. It seemed to happen this way every year . . . this day was set aside for that moment in time, when they would remember the man they had once hated, and had eventually come to see as a friend. Vincent removed the rest of the patrons, and together the members of AVALANCHE gathered at a table, Tifa pouring each of them a shot of brandy and setting it onto the table before them, joining them herself when she was done. Silently, they raised their shots to the picture, each of them murmuring a good will phrase towards the soul of a fallen angel.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice whispered, startling all of them. They could have sworn all the patrons were gone . . . Vincent was very good at his job, after all. They turned as one to face the intruder, hands going to guns and swords instinctively as they came face to face with a tall figure, swathed in black. His face was hidden deep within the folds of his hood.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Vincent growled, standing slowly, bristling with anger. The stranger merely shrugged, gesturing with one black gloved hand towards the shots and the group.

"Merely wishing to give my own regards to the soul of the fallen. Although I doubt he needs your help anymore." There were growls all around the table at this comment, chairs sliding back in preparation for a fight. Tifa was unsure which they planned on doing . . . attacking the stranger, or preventing Vincent from killing the man. It was during these thoughts that she caught a glimpse of leather and knee high boots. She leaned forward slightly, her breath catching in her throat as she saw a flash of glowing blue/green eyes and saw a stray strand of hair . . . a strand that was the color of pressed platinum.

"Oh . . . my . . . gods . . ." she whispered hoarsely, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief and hope. "Guys . . . put your weapons down . . .Vincent, sit down . . . I think you are going to need to." The figure nodded towards her, silently thanking her for her intervention. Reaching forward, he took the shot from her numb fingers, raising it in toast.

  
  


"To friendships . . . and new lives," the figure murmured, before tipping back the shot. The hood fell back, revealing a face too well known to ever be mistaken for anyone else, topped with a trademark platinum color. Jaws dropped around the table as they all sat there, staring at a man they would have sworn was dead . . . again.

"Sephiroth?" Vincent whispered, his voice failing him. The man turned towards him slowly, eyes shifting to blue as they met the crimson gaze solemnly.

"Hello again . . . father." A hoarse sob broke from Vincent's throat as he stepped forward, enveloping his son in a hug that looked like it would break bones on any other living being. Knowing Vincent . . . it probably would have.

  
  


*---------*---------*---------*---------*

  
  


"But . . . how?" Cloud asked a short while later, after the raging torrent of tears, hugs, handshakes, and back slaps had calmed down. Sephiroth sighed, a hand running through his hair as he thought about the question.

"To be honest . . . I am not sure," he said finally, sitting back with his cup of coffee in his hand. "I can clearly remember dying . . . the next thing I remember was Aeris. She was waiting for me, as she said. She said I was going to be given another chance . . . but that the Planet had to make a few . . . modifications." He peeled the gloves from his hands slowly, revealing smooth, completely unmarked flesh. "The Planet removed every trace of true Jenova from my body. The cells that had integrated with my system are still there . . . it only removed the ones that were still self-sentient . . . the ones that could have made it possible for Jenova to come back again. I had no idea of time during my . . . transformation. When I was next conscious, I found myself in the reactor in Nibelheim . . . with this." He removed from an inner pocket a very familiar round, black materia. "It's mine . . . mine to watch over, mine to call upon. The Planet's first 'gift' to me. The second is it's voice . . . the full awakening of my Cetran blood. I truly am the Planet's last guardian . . . and because of Jenova, I am an eternal one." 

"How long ago was that?" Tifa asked quietly as the rest took in the information.

"Only a week ago. I came straight here." He looked around at the gathered friends, smiling slightly at their still slightly stunned expressions. He couldn't really blame them . . . he had not expected to be coming back either. "Of course, I hate to say it, but I had an ulterior motive other than coming to see all of you again. I suspect, as the Planet's new guardian . . . that I may need to call upon you all from time to time. I wanted . . . to know if that would be alright." Tifa burst out suddenly.

"What do you mean, from time to time!? Of course you can . . . cause you'll be right here to ask when you get the call!" Sephiroth looked at her in surprise, startled by her outburst. "What?! You didn't think we were just gonna let you walk right back out of our lives now that we know you're alive again, did you? OH NO . . .you're stuck with us mister . . . even if I have to lock you in the basement myself!" There was a moment of stunned silence before the laughter began. Tifa, realizing what she had just said, couldn't help but join in. It came as somewhat of a shock when they discovered that Sephiroth was actually laughing right along with them, as was Vincent. Finally, Sephiroth held his hands up in surrender.

"How could I turn that offer down? I guess I am here for good, then," he murmured finally.

"Yer damn right ya are!" Barrett growled. Cid readily agreed with his own, more colorful language, and Nanaki nodded his head, Reeve murmured a soft assent, Cloud gave him a dirty look that he had thought any different, and Vincent just looked at him. Sephiroth sighed, shaking his head in perpetual astonishment at these former enemies of his. They would never cease to amaze him.

Later that night, as he lay in his room in the basement of the bar, he stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought, listening to the whispers of the Planet inside his head. The voice of the Planet was so very different from what Jenova's had been . . . it was like the constant babble of a bubbling stream, comforting in a way. He sighed, the black materia resting against his chest, cradled gently in one hand.

He'd been granted a second chance . . . a second life, so to speak . . . and he intended to learn everything he could about life from his new friends. He was sure it would prove to be the most gratifying experience of his entire existence. He grinned slightly as the Planet murmured a sleepy affirmative to his thought, and as he drifted off to sleep, he had one final thought.

The redemption of a fallen angel was an old fairy tale . . . one that he now very firmly believed was possible.

  
  


Final Author's Note - I hope you'll forgive Vincent being emotional . . . I felt that the stress of losing his son, and then seeing him come back to life on the night they were remembering his death would make him a little more prone to doing things he normally wouldn't. Hopefully, you'll all forgive me . . . and Vincent will too, cause he's currently glaring at me for making him act like that. I think I'll go hide behind Seph now. Later all : )

  
  



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